Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of occupational therapy-led vocational rehabilitation services in helping people to remain in work.

Evidence shows that expert support such as Occupational Health services (including vocational rehabilitation services) can be a critical component in helping individuals remain in and return to work, reducing unnecessary sickness absence, increasing productivity and enabling individuals to live better for longer. This Government set out our plans to tackle economic inactivity driven by ill health and increase participation in the labour market in the Get Britain Working White Paper last year. These included an independent review which is considering how to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with a health condition or disability, promote healthy workplaces and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence.