Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the role of the Minister for Disabled People is in co-ordinating children and families policy across Government.

The Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance leads on policy for children and families within DWP – including the delivery of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme, the Child Maintenance Service, Maternity benefits and the Family Test which was developed to ensure that potential impacts on family relationships and functioning are considered in advice put to Ministers. To strengthen implementation of the Family Test, we are currently working across government with a newly created Family Test Network.

To fulfil this role DWP works with a range of other departments to ensure the policy we deliver for children and families is effective, but it does not coordinate children and families’ policy across government.

Part of the role of the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work is to work across government to encourage development of policies to tackle the barriers disabled people face to realising their full participation in society. Whilst disability policy is the responsibility of all departments, by working together we can improve disabled people’s participation, for which we are jointly responsible.