Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they analyse the use of assistive technology to ensure there is a continuity of supply offered to students and workers throughout their lifetimes, and if so, which department is responsible for the analysis.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2022 the Disability Unit within the Cabinet Office contracted the Global Disability Innovation Hub to complete a needs and capacity assessment of Assistive and Accessible Technology (ATech).
This research sought to improve our understanding of the country’s capacity to finance, procure and provide ATech; identifying system inefficiencies and maximising the greatest positive impact on the life outcomes for individual ATech users.
The research, “Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England” was published in 2023.
This research, alongside our engagement with disability stakeholders and Atech experts, has enabled us to understand some of the biggest barriers that disabled people face in accessing Atech to support them into employment and wider society.
Insights from this research have recently fed into the DWP Pathways to Work Spring Green Paper, which announced that the government is going to develop and deliver a digital resource that will help raise awareness of existing Atech and provide guidance on how it can be used to support disabled people. We will also set up an Atech expert working group to identify and, where possible, develop solutions to the barriers disabled people face when trying to use and access Atech.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for the Department of Work and Pensions in evidence to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee on 3 May, when the root and branch review of the Disability Confident scheme will take place.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
In 2021, we began a review of the Disability Confident scheme which was announced in the National Disability Strategy (NDS). In January 2022, the High Court declared the NDS was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations. The Secretary of State wanted to minimise the risk of acting inconsistently with the Court’s declaration, therefore, we paused a limited number of policies referred to in the strategy, including work directly related to the Disability Confident review. The Secretary of State has successfully obtained permission to appeal this decision. The Court of Appeal hearing is due to take place on 28 and 29 June 2023.
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work is exploring what additional steps we can take, whilst respecting the Court’s decision and awaiting the outcome of the appeal.