Work Capability Assessments

Debate between Baroness Rawlings and Lord Freud

Tuesday 8th November 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Rawlings]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to consult British businesses on the proposals for work capability assessments contained in the work, health and disability Green Paper, Improving Lives.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con)]

We are developing our consultation plan to ensure that we engage properly with British business on the proposals for reform, given the key role that it has to play in improving health and work outcomes. We are working with local enterprise partnership networks to reach a range of employers and employer organisations. A particular focus will be on listening to small and medium-sized employers to understand the support they need to better promote the health of their employees.

[Baroness Rawlings (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. Last Monday we had two Statements following each other, one on capability assessment and the other on Nissan. The Minister said,

“We need to harness that positive power of business to promote disability awareness”.—[Official Report, 31/10/16; col. 482.]

The Green Paper asks, “How can we encourage employers to recruit disabled people?”. As we know, Nissan is a hugely important employer, employing 35,000 people. Was capability assessment one of the topics on the agenda of the Nissan talks and, if not, do the Government intend to raise it in future?