Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 03 Dec 2025
Pension Schemes Bill
"I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 03 Dec 2025
Pension Schemes Bill
"With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:
Government new clause 31—Indexation of periodic compensation for pre-1997 service: Great Britain.
Government new clause 32—Indexation of periodic compensation for pre-1997 service: Northern Ireland.
Government new clause 33—Financial Assistance Scheme: indexation of payments for pre-1997 service.
…..."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2025
Budget Resolutions
"Order. In an attempt to get everybody in today, I am going to put an immediate six-minute time limit on speeches...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2025
Budget Resolutions
"Order...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2025
Budget Resolutions
"Order. I call Graeme Downie...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2025
Budget Resolutions
"After the next speaker there will be a five-minute time limit...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2025
Budget Resolutions
"I call Perran Moon...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2025
Budget Resolutions
"Order. You can refer to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as the Chancellor or by her constituency name, but not by her own name...."Caroline Nokes - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 20th May 2024
Asked by:
Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Paul Maynard
DWP as part of its Policy portfolio is responsible for the administration of the Disability Confident Scheme – but this answer relates to how DWP as an employer uses and supports Disability Confident. DWP is committed to Disability Confident and back in November 2023 was re-accredited for the next three years as a Disability Confident Leader – the top-level award. In June 2023, 22% of DWP staff indicated that they had a disability (an increase of 3.7% compared to June 2021) and 13.6% of Senior Civil Servants in the department declared a disability (an increase of 1.6% compared to June 2021) – hence support in this space is a departmental priority.
There are no officials working specifically on Disability Confident outside of policy group in DWP – but we do have a Disability Lead working in our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing team who supported the co-ordination of the evidence.
As part of this submission DWP provided a large amount of evidence on the good practice that is happening with a focus on disability. This included but was not limited to:
- A review of the Workplace Adjustments processes, with a focus on ensuring adjustments are quicker and easier to put in place.
- Supporting our THRIVE network – an EDI Network focussed on supporting colleagues with a Disability or long-term limiting condition.
- Ensuring products and services offered to colleagues are accessible – both physical spaces managed by estates and virtual digital spaces.
- Establishing a centre of expertise for resourcing, which includes a team focused on diversity and inclusion in recruitment – the team leads on ensuring our recruitment processes are inclusive, fair and open for all.
- All recruitment follows the fair, open and on merit principles and is name-blind to provide anonymity and prevent bias in the process. Specific guidance is also provided to hiring managers including DWP Recruitment of Disabled People Guide and Supporting Disabled Employees: Line Manager’s Best Practice Guide.
- The department has been awarded Disability Confident Leader and RNIB Visibly Better Employer status which is promoted on Civil Service Jobs adverts, diverse jobs boards, social media, and Civil Service Careers websites.
- Taking all reasonable steps to overcome any barriers that may impede people with any kind of disability including mental ill-health. Our recruitment process allows for reasonable adjustments to be instigated on an individual basis and considered at each stage of the recruitment process.
- Trialling new approaches across the recruitment and selection process to understand their impacts on diversity outcomes. This results in new approaches being adopted where data shows they work such as the implementation of sharing interview questions in advance of interview into recruitment policy in June 2023.
Written Question
Tuesday 20th June 2023
Asked by:
Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2023 to Question 185576 on Disability, which of his Department’s commitments in the National Disability Strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (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 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) made five commitments in the NDS:
- Set out proposals to improve the experience of accessing disability benefits;
- Pilot an Access to Work Passport to help disabled people progress through education and move into employment;
- Make available a passport for all young disabled students, including those receiving Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), when they leave university;
- Encourage employers to hire disabled people and to create inclusive workplaces by reviewing Disability Confident, strengthening the Voluntary Reporting Framework, and disseminating best practice to employers; and
- Expand trials for supported employment services.
Since the NDS was published, DWP has:
- Published the Health and Disability White Paper, which sets out the Government’s plans to reform the welfare system and make it better meet the needs of disabled people in Great Britain. This includes removing the Work Capability Assessment (meaning claimants will now only have to do one health assessment rather than two) and supporting claimants to try work without fear of losing their financial support;
- Delivered a pilot to test the Adjustments Passport in 3 universities. The pilot results were evaluated by the universities, demonstrating the value of the Adjustments Passport, which as a result is expected to be available, across all nations, beginning in September 2023;
- Implemented a Health Adjustments Passport to support disabled jobseekers and is implementing an Armed Forces Service Leavers Adjustments Passport. The DWP is continuing testing of the Adjustments Passport with various groups, including young people on vocational programmes;
- Paused work directly related to the Disability Confident review and strengthening the Voluntary Reporting Framework. The DWP continues to promote the Disability Confident Scheme and encourage sign-up through our regular engagement with the Business Leaders Group, employers of all sizes and other stakeholders; and
- Provided funding, in partnership with DHSC, for Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) supported employment services in 12 areas across 41 local authorities in England, to support people with health conditions to access paid jobs, and then support both the individual and their employer to ensure that the job is sustained.
The Government also announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people, and people with health conditions, to stay in, and return to work. This new investment builds on our existing extensive support to help disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work.
We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the DWP will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.
Ahead of this, I as the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.