Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Business Disability Forum has shared with Ministers or officials the research informing the Forum's decision to oppose the introduction of mandatory employment and pay gap reporting, and whether they will place a copy of any such research in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government welcomes views from disabled people, businesses and their representative organisations on our proposals for disability pay gap reporting to help make sure they work for everyone. Being open to a wide range of views, experiences and concerns will support a more successful implementation of disability pay gap reporting.
Research conducted by the Business Disability Forum with their members has been shared with policy officials, as has other relevant research such as the Institute of Directors’ report Progress through transparency: the case for mandatory disability employment and pay gap reporting.
Since both reports mentioned are publicly available and can be found online at their respective organisations’ websites, we do not plan to place them in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government which ministers have met representatives of the Business Disability Forum, whom they met, and on what dates since July 2024; and on which government bodies and advisory groups the Business Disability Forum is represented, and by whom.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Minister for Social Security and Disability, Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, met with the Business Disability Forum’s Director of Policy and Research, Angela Matthews and Director of Operations, Adrian Ward, at a roundtable event hosted by Scope on 11 September 2024. He has also met with Business Disability Forum’s CEO Diane Lightwood on multiple occasions: an introductory meeting with Disability Charities Consortium co-chairs on 17 July 2024, at the Labour Party Conference on 24 September 2024, a meeting about Disability Confident Business Leaders Group at Caxton House on 28 October 2024, Disability Charities Consortium meetings on 11 December 2024 & 12 March 2025 and the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group meeting on 4 December 2024.
The Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern MP, met Business Disability Forum’s CEO Diane Lightfoot at the introductory meeting with Disability Charities Consortium co-chairs on 5 September 2024 and at the Disability Charities Consortium meetings on 11 December 2024 and 12 March 2025. The Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, Gareth Thomas MP, has met Business Disability Forum’s CEO Diane Lightfoot at a meeting of the Lilac Review Steering Board on 17 September 2024.
The Prime Minister met CEO Diane Lightfoot at a large reception at 10 Downing Street to celebrate Small Business Saturday on 3 December 2024. CEO Diane Lightfoot and Director of Policy and Research Angela Matthews have also been on group calls and roundtables with Ministers alongside multiple other stakeholders, for example on the recent NHS Ten Year Plan roundtable.
The Government bodies, advisory and representative groups where Business Disability Forum is represented are the Lilac Review Steering Board (Diane Lightfoot), the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (Diane Lightfoot), Disability Charities Consortium (Diane Lightfoot & Angela Matthews), Access to Work Expert Reference Group (Diane Lightfoot & Angela Matthews), the Office for National Statistics Assembly (Angela Matthews) and the Work and Health External Advisory Group (Diane Lightfoot & Angela Matthews).
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published on 23 January by the Institute of Directors and Disability@Work, Progress through transparency: the case for mandatory disability employment and pay gap reporting.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 18 March 2025, the Government launched a consultation on mandatory pay gap reporting for both disability and ethnicity. Responses to the consultation will help to shape proposals which will be included in the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech in July 2024. We welcome the report published by the Institute of Directors and Disability@Work and will consider it alongside the consultation responses as we develop this piece of legislation. The previous Government consulted on disability workforce reporting in 2021/22, and we are pleased to have been able to publish a summary of responses to that consultation alongside the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill consultation.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform Access to Work and Disability Confident; whether any reviews of these schemes will be chaired by disabled people; and what proportion of the review panels will be disabled.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Get Britain Working White Paper, published 26 November 2024, set out the Department’s plans for labour market transformation, including more support for workers and employers. In the Spring, we will set out our proposals for significant reforms to health and disability benefits in a Green Paper. We appreciate the real importance of this topic for disabled people, people with health conditions, their representatives and so many others and so we will be carefully considering our approach and listening to their views.
The Disability Confident scheme needs to be more robust, and we acknowledge the need for reform. Officials are currently exploring options to enhance the criteria, and we will collaborate closely with employers, disabled people’s organisations, and disabled individuals themselves to fully realise the scheme's potential.
Our independent review into the role of employers in supporting healthy and inclusive workplaces will also make recommendations for change, and as part of this we are committed to working closely with disabled people. As set out in the White Paper, we will establish a disability panel to ensure the views and voices of disabled people are put at the heart of the design and delivery of our reforms.
As in all policy areas, any further reform proposals would be announced in due course in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what methods they plan to employ to engage with disabled people and people with long-term health conditions and their representative organisations in developing the independent review into the role of employers in creating and maintaining healthy and inclusive workplaces.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are shortly going to launch “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review into the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. Sir Charlie Mayfield is recognised and respected in the business community and is ideally placed to engage with employers, businesses, disabled people and their representative organisations.
In appointing Sir Charlie Mayfield as the Lead Reviewer, we have taken due regard to the Nolan principles, and the Terms of Engagement for this review will commit the chair to conducting their appointment by these principles.
We will work closely with the lead reviewer to ensure appropriate stakeholders are engaged as the review progresses. We are looking to engage a broad range of stakeholders across the country, including employers, employees across various sectors, clinical practitioners, and lived experience. An expert panel will be established following the results of the discovery phase, and will be supported by a diverse range of external stakeholders.
The review will give appropriate consideration to proposals from all stakeholders, including the Disability Employment Charter.
We want to work alongside employers, disabled people, and people with long-term health conditions to understand this problem, and do our part to support them. We will work to strengthen these relationships and trust, and welcome any insights that are shared through this review.
In addition to this independent review, the department is working to establish a disability panel to consult disabled people as part of our wider efforts to ensure that the views and voices of disabled people are put at the heart of the design and delivery of our reforms. Once established, the panel will be engaged on the independent review.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the independent review into the role of employers in creating and maintaining healthy and inclusive workplaces will have proper regard to the proposals in the Disability Employment Charter.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are shortly going to launch “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review into the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. Sir Charlie Mayfield is recognised and respected in the business community and is ideally placed to engage with employers, businesses, disabled people and their representative organisations.
In appointing Sir Charlie Mayfield as the Lead Reviewer, we have taken due regard to the Nolan principles, and the Terms of Engagement for this review will commit the chair to conducting their appointment by these principles.
We will work closely with the lead reviewer to ensure appropriate stakeholders are engaged as the review progresses. We are looking to engage a broad range of stakeholders across the country, including employers, employees across various sectors, clinical practitioners, and lived experience. An expert panel will be established following the results of the discovery phase, and will be supported by a diverse range of external stakeholders.
The review will give appropriate consideration to proposals from all stakeholders, including the Disability Employment Charter.
We want to work alongside employers, disabled people, and people with long-term health conditions to understand this problem, and do our part to support them. We will work to strengthen these relationships and trust, and welcome any insights that are shared through this review.
In addition to this independent review, the department is working to establish a disability panel to consult disabled people as part of our wider efforts to ensure that the views and voices of disabled people are put at the heart of the design and delivery of our reforms. Once established, the panel will be engaged on the independent review.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the independent review into the role of employers in creating and maintaining healthy and inclusive workplaces will be chaired by a disabled person; whether their appointment process will be subject to the Nolan principles; and what proportion of the review panel will be disabled.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are shortly going to launch “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review into the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. Sir Charlie Mayfield is recognised and respected in the business community and is ideally placed to engage with employers, businesses, disabled people and their representative organisations.
In appointing Sir Charlie Mayfield as the Lead Reviewer, we have taken due regard to the Nolan principles, and the Terms of Engagement for this review will commit the chair to conducting their appointment by these principles.
We will work closely with the lead reviewer to ensure appropriate stakeholders are engaged as the review progresses. We are looking to engage a broad range of stakeholders across the country, including employers, employees across various sectors, clinical practitioners, and lived experience. An expert panel will be established following the results of the discovery phase, and will be supported by a diverse range of external stakeholders.
The review will give appropriate consideration to proposals from all stakeholders, including the Disability Employment Charter.
We want to work alongside employers, disabled people, and people with long-term health conditions to understand this problem, and do our part to support them. We will work to strengthen these relationships and trust, and welcome any insights that are shared through this review.
In addition to this independent review, the department is working to establish a disability panel to consult disabled people as part of our wider efforts to ensure that the views and voices of disabled people are put at the heart of the design and delivery of our reforms. Once established, the panel will be engaged on the independent review.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to commence the independent review into the role of employers in creating and maintaining healthy and inclusive workplaces.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are shortly going to launch “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review into the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. Sir Charlie Mayfield is recognised and respected in the business community and is ideally placed to engage with employers, businesses, disabled people and their representative organisations.
In appointing Sir Charlie Mayfield as the Lead Reviewer, we have taken due regard to the Nolan principles, and the Terms of Engagement for this review will commit the chair to conducting their appointment by these principles.
We will work closely with the lead reviewer to ensure appropriate stakeholders are engaged as the review progresses. We are looking to engage a broad range of stakeholders across the country, including employers, employees across various sectors, clinical practitioners, and lived experience. An expert panel will be established following the results of the discovery phase, and will be supported by a diverse range of external stakeholders.
The review will give appropriate consideration to proposals from all stakeholders, including the Disability Employment Charter.
We want to work alongside employers, disabled people, and people with long-term health conditions to understand this problem, and do our part to support them. We will work to strengthen these relationships and trust, and welcome any insights that are shared through this review.
In addition to this independent review, the department is working to establish a disability panel to consult disabled people as part of our wider efforts to ensure that the views and voices of disabled people are put at the heart of the design and delivery of our reforms. Once established, the panel will be engaged on the independent review.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their response to the consultation Disability workforce reporting, which closed on 8 April; and when they plan to publish the findings of their review of the Disability Confident scheme.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The commitment to consult on disability workforce reporting was set out in the National Disability Strategy. In January 2022, the High Court declared that the strategy 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 Department aims to minimise the risk of acting inconsistently with the Court’s declaration, without compromising on the ambitious agenda we are delivering for disabled people. As such, we have paused a limited number of policies referred to in the Strategy or directly connected with it, including the planned findings report and next steps publication for the Disability Workforce Reporting consultation and work directly related to the Disability Confident review.
We are committed to disability policy that supports all areas of life, and to taking action to create a society that works for everyone.
Asked by: Lord Shinkwin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 11 November (HL3461), whether in their view the removal of the Universal Credit uplift meets the public sector equality duty tests set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 for any of the nine protected characteristics; what evidence informs their view that the public sector equality duty does not apply to ‘temporary’ measures; and what legal advice they have sought to confirm this view.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Government recognises that the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 is ongoing. As such, a full equality impact assessment was completed prior to the introduction of the uplift to Universal Credit and that equality impact assessment was reviewed and updated prior to implementation of the temporary six-month extension announced by the Chancellor at the Budget on 3 March 2021.
Consideration of the impact of the end of the uplift was implicit in those equality impact assessments, because the uplift was always intended as a temporary measure only. No separate assessment was therefore needed when the uplift came to an end.