Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support people of all ages back into work as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the Rt. Hon. member to my response to question 43982.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing to help disabled people (a) find and (b) remain in employment during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has put in place a range of provision to help disabled people find and stay in work across the country. Our programmes include Access to Work, Disability Confident, specialised employment support including the Work and Health Programme and the Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme, and local trials in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care. During the Covid-19 outbreak, we have provided this support remotely and made the Work and Health and Intensive Personalised Employment Support programmes easier to access by allowing self-referrals as well as referrals through work coaches.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on the disability green paper.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department will be bringing forward a Green Paper on health and disability support, focusing on how the welfare system can better meet the needs of claimants with disabilities and health conditions. The Green Paper will be strongly influenced by the views of disabled people and representatives from disability organisations, drawing on the significant engagement we have conducted and which will continue, albeit through different channels, over the Autumn.
Given the necessary focus on the departmental response to COVID-19, we are working to a longer timescale than previously anticipated but we remain committed to publishing in the coming months.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tackle high levels of unemployment among the deaf community.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The DWP has a range of programmes to help disabled people, including deaf people.
These include:
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that businesses and public services provide safe access for assistance dogs and their owners.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.
As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.
The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.
Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses
The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.
Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of individuals who have requested the help of an assistance dog have access to one.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.
As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.
The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.
Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses
The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.
Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 raise awareness of the work of assistance dogs.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.
As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.
The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.
Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses
The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.
Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 provide financial support to voluntary organisations that find, home and train assistance dogs.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.
As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.
The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.
Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses
The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.
Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 increase the number of assistance dogs.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.
As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.
The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.
Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses
The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.
Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 that all those whose lives could be improved by an assistance dog have access to one.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.
As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.
The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.
Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses
The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.
Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.