Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the Access to Work application process for people with (a) learning disabilities, (b) mental health conditions and (c) neurodivergent needs; and what steps his Department is taking to simplify the process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the application process for Access to Work, we encourage individuals to provide as much information about their circumstances as possible, to help us understand how best to offer support which is tailored to their needs.
There is a variety of accessible contact methods which customers can utilise when making applications. These include telephone, textphone, Video Relay Service and email as a reasonable adjustment. Where a customer would like to use email to contact the department as a reasonable adjustment, they should let the Access to Work team know so the Case Manager can follow the appropriate procedure to ensure we can try to accommodate the request. Details can be found at Access to Work: factsheet for customers - GOV.UK
We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, hat steps his Department is taking to ensure timely payments to Access to Work support providers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work. We also prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 ensure (a) consistency and (b) transparency in Access to Work funding decisions in different types of (i) disability and (ii) employment sectors.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For the last year, we have worked to improve decision-making throughout the Scheme by ensuring that guidance is applied with greater consistency, helping to provide a fairer process.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support tenants with the cost of rent in the social housing sector.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is support through the social security system for low-income households living in the social rented sector which is paid through either the housing element of Universal Credit or through Housing Benefit. The level of housing support received is based on the full eligible rent the tenant pays, unless the benefit cap or the removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) apply.
There is further support available for people entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. They can apply to their local authority for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs).
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that Universal Credit advisers are aware that payments should be backdated when a change of circumstances relates to the award of a disability benefit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All DWP new entrant work coaches and case managers receive job role specific technical learning, which covers backdating. As changes of circumstances are notified, the Universal Credit system calculates many payments due automatically. Case Managers are supported by coaching and quality assurance.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with disabled children’s charities, in the context of the development of a child poverty strategy.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which the Department of Education Secretary of State is Co-Chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are listening carefully to the voices of children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND) who live in poverty, as well as the charities and organisations that represent them. Examples of the engagement we’ve undertaken are events with: Contact, a charity for families with disabled children; ALLFIE, a campaign group focused on including disabled learners in mainstream education; and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation that aims to improve the life opportunities for young people with severe learning disabilities and their families.
The Taskforce recognises that poverty impacts the whole family so, alongside this, a forum of parents and carers has been brought together to input to the Strategy. The approach has been designed to be inclusive and capture the experiences of a broad range of parents, carers and children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with disabled young people, in the context of the development of a child poverty strategy.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Child Poverty Taskforce, of which the Department of Education Secretary of State is Co-Chair, is building on the wealth of existing evidence and expertise across the UK to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty. We are listening carefully to the voices of children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND) who live in poverty, as well as the charities and organisations that represent them. Examples of the engagement we’ve undertaken are events with: Contact, a charity for families with disabled children; ALLFIE, a campaign group focused on including disabled learners in mainstream education; and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation that aims to improve the life opportunities for young people with severe learning disabilities and their families.
The Taskforce recognises that poverty impacts the whole family so, alongside this, a forum of parents and carers has been brought together to input to the Strategy. The approach has been designed to be inclusive and capture the experiences of a broad range of parents, carers and children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the additional costs to families for raising a disabled child.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP pays close attention to the evidence base on the extra costs faced by disabled children, including external academic research but does not endorse a particular external study.
For example, Scope’s Disability Price Tag (2023) uses a sensitive economic modelling methodology called the standard of living approach. They state that a family with a disabled child would have to pay £581 a month to have the same standard of living as a family with a non-disabled child. For 1 in 5 families, these costs can exceed £1000 per month. The existing evidence base that uses similar methodologies produce a wide range of estimates of this cost, ranging from £600 to £1,500 per month, reflecting a high degree of uncertainty around the true additional costs faced by families raising a disabled child.