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Written Question
Access to Work Programme
Tuesday 28th March 2023

Asked by: Andrew Jones (Conservative - Harrogate and Knaresborough)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress his Department has made on increasing processing times for access to work applications made by disabled people.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Access to Work have recruited more people and redeployed existing colleagues to support the processing of applications. We have also reviewed our processes and looked to streamline, where we can, to speed up decision making. Alongside that, we are continuing to transform the service through digitalisation and aim to introduce an online claims portal and an improved application process in the Spring. Whilst we still have a number of newer colleagues in training, these activities are showing positive results with an improvement in processing times and increases in clearances.

Written Question
Employment: Disability
Monday 6th March 2023

Asked by: Andrew Jones (Conservative - Harrogate and Knaresborough)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help disabled people find employment.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

There are a range of Government initiatives supporting disabled people, and people with health conditions, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include:

  • Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance;
  • Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;
  • The Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;
  • Access to Work grants towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;
  • Disability Confident encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues employees face in the workplace;
  • The Information and Advice Service providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting and managing health and disability in the workplace; and
  • Support in partnership between DWP and the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies services, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions.
Written Question
Social Rented Housing: Unemployed People
Monday 9th March 2015

Asked by: Andrew Jones (Conservative - Harrogate and Knaresborough)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of workless households in social housing.

Answered by Mark Harper

The latest available data shows that there were 1.4 million workless households in the social rented sector. This is a reduction of 102,000 from the previous year and follows a continual downward trend over this Parliament.

This is the largest fall in the percentage of workless households in the social rented sector since comparable records began.

Full details can be found at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/working-and-workless-households/2014/index.html

Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Monday 30th June 2014

Asked by: Andrew Jones (Conservative - Harrogate and Knaresborough)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of changes in the cost to the public purse of benefits payments as a result of changes in employment levels since May 2010.

Answered by Esther McVey

Since 2010/11 expenditure on benefits and tax credits paid to people not in work has fallen in real terms from £43.2bn to £42.2bn in 2013/14, and is forecast to fall further, to £40.6bn this year. This is due to a combination of factors including welfare reform, changes to benefits and significant employment growth. The number of people in work has risen by 1.7 million since 2010, and the number of people claiming the main out of work benefits has fallen by over 700,000.