Department for Work and Pensions: Market Research

(asked on 23rd May 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she takes to ensure market research conducted for her Department has provision for deaf people to respond.


Answered by
Justin Tomlinson Portrait
Justin Tomlinson
This question was answered on 7th June 2019

The DWP uses the Research Marketplace Dynamic Purchasing System to contract its social research. All service providers registered on the System are obliged to operate within the stipulations of all prevailing disability legislation in operation within the UK.

In addition, all social research the Department undertakes complies with the principles laid out in the Government Social Research ‘Ethical Assurance for Social Research in Government’ framework. This includes Principle 3 (Enabling participation), which states that:

‘The potential impact of choices in research design (such as sample design, data collection method and so on) on participation should be considered. In particular, the effect of research design on such groups as ethnic minorities, those with caring responsibilities, and those with physical or mental impairment should be considered. Consideration should be given to issues likely to act as a barrier to participation, and reasonable steps taken to address these.’

Accessibility requirements are therefore considered on a project by project basis in accordance with this Principle.

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