Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department takes into account the need to work fewer hours of (a) parents, (b) carers, (c) disabled people and (d) others when imposing conditionality.

The requirements any claimant is asked to meet will be clearly set out in their Claimant Commitment. All requirements are set in discussion with the claimant, tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.

For lead carers of children, individual circumstances are taken into account when tailoring work-related activity in the claimant commitment. This includes the age of the child, availability of childcare, any health conditions and travel time to and from work.

A part time carer on Universal Credit can receive individualised employment support through their Jobcentre Plus (JCP) work coach who can tailor work related requirements, such as searching for work, to fit their caring responsibilities.

For disabled claimants or claimants with health conditions who are required to look for and/or prepare for work, work coaches must consider the impact of the claimant’s health condition or disability and can limit the number of hours the claimant is required to be available for work, search for work and undertake other work-related requirements. Work coaches can also tailor type and location of work.