Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is a Disability Confident Leader. While there are no dedicated roles working on Disability Confident, several teams lead work to support the scheme. This includes the recruitment team that ensures activity is compliant with the scheme, and all recruiting managers are provided with information on how to apply the scheme. The department monitors data regularly to ensure that the scheme is effectively applied. DESNZ provides prospective candidates with information on reasonable adjustments that can be made in line with our legal obligations. The department’s Disability Confident self-assessment has been validated and is regularly reviewed.