Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to inform residential training colleges for disabled people whether their funding will be extended beyond August 2015.

It is a priority for me to ensure that as many disabled people as possible are helped towards employment through the Department’s various employment programmes.

As mentioned in the “Disability and Health Employment Strategy: the discussions so far”, I understand the importance of a specialist support offer for disabled people, and I want to continue to improve this offer by considering a wide range of ideas and initiatives.

My officials are currently undertaking a detailed analysis of how best to support disabled customers, and the role that Residential Training Colleges should play in this support. I cannot yet confirm when I will be able to inform residential training colleges of the outcome of this work, which will take account of the broader Disability Health and Employment Strategy and of the Department’s other employment programmes including Work Programme and Work Choice. As part of the process, officials will undertake an equality analysis so that I fully understand the impact of any future proposals before I make my final decision.