Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on employment support for the visually impaired.

In recognition of the strong two-way relationship between work and health, in 2015 the Joint Work and Health Unit was established as a joint DWP and DHSC team; reporting to both Secretaries of State. The Unit informs the Government’s disability employment strategy, using a programme of trials and tests to identify effective models of health and employment support to help people with health conditions or disabilities to stay in work or return to work.

In addition DWP will be bringing forward a Green Paper on health and disability support in the coming months. The Green Paper will explore how the welfare system can better meet the needs of claimants with disabilities and health conditions now and in the future, to build a system that people trust and enables them to live independently and move into work where possible.