Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how frequently deaf awareness training is provided to (a) decision-makers, (b) people in customer-facing roles and (c) other staff in her Department.

Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is mandatory learning completed by all staff as part of their induction into the department and can then be revisited at any time. Within the learning there is a scenario-based activity around deaf awareness.

In addition, all staff new to DWP complete customer service delivery learning which includes a module for deaf or hearing loss and the support DWP offers, including when and how to use interpreters for interviews. The learning explains the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 and how it relates to customers who are deaf or have hearing loss, which can also be revisited at any time.