Oral Answers to Questions

Martin Docherty-Hughes Excerpts

Monday 21st March 2022 Commons Chamber

[David Rutley]

Absolutely. We want to make sure that work pays, and my hon. Friend has highlighted that fantastically.

[Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP)]

8. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that disabled people are supported in work.

[Marion Fellows (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)]

19. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that disabled people are supported in work.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mims Davies)]

We are committed to seeing 1 million more disabled people in work by 2027. A wide range of initiatives are available to support disabled people to stay in work or move into work, including contracted employment support, Access to Work, Disability Confident, and initiatives in partnership with the health system.

[Martin Docherty-Hughes]

I am sure the Minister would agree that an important part of preventing the disability employment gap from widening further is the provision of assistive technology for disabled claimants who are applying for jobs. Can the Minister advise the House on whether every jobcentre is equipped with assistive technology for disabled claimants and whether that is supported by appropriate staff training—and if not, why not?

[Mims Davies]

We have 900 disability employment advisers who individually work with claimants to help them to progress. One of the most positive outcomes of the kickstart scheme has been the number of people with neurodiversity or disabilities getting a first start into work because they worked directly with their work coaches to understand what support they needed to get into work. There is also, of course, the Access to Work programme.