Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her predecessor's speech to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation on 9 May 2019, what steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce the maximum length of financial sanctions for welfare claimants from three years to six months, (b) improve access to the labour market for underrepresented groups, (c) double membership to the Disability Confident scheme and (d) consult on reforming statutory sick pay.

In respect of (a) `reduce the maximum length of financial sanctions for welfare claimants from three years to six months,` we laid legislation to reduce the maximum length of higher-level sanctions from three years to six months on 16 October 2019. We are now working to update communications and Learning and Development products ahead of the legislation coming into force on 27 November 2019.

In respect of (b) `improve access to the labour market for underrepresented groups:`

• We are committed to ensuring that everyone - irrespective of their gender - is able to enter work, progress in work and realise financial security. We are making Universal Credit work better for women, including building the capability of Work Coaches and supporting women in low-paid employment or multiple jobs to increase their earnings. We are also supporting women on Universal Credit to progress from low paying jobs, through a programme of research and trials into the barriers they face and into what works to tackle those barriers.

• To improve access to the labour market for ethnic minorities, we are providing targeted employment support in 20 areas across Great Britain with high levels of ethnic minority unemployment. In these areas, Jobcentre Plus works with employers and local authorities, wider public services and the voluntary sector to overcome barriers to employment faced by different ethnic groups. Lessons learned are shared across the wider Jobcentre Plus network.

• To support older people in remaining and returning to work, we abolished the default retirement age and extended the right to request flexible working.

• In 2017, we published the Fuller Working Lives Strategy, which aims to increase the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers, by bringing about a change in the perceptions & attitudes of employers, and by challenging the views of working in later life and retirement amongst individuals. We also appointed the Business Champion for Older Workers to spearhead our work to support employers to retain, retrain and recruit older workers.

• In respect of people with disabilities, The Work and Heath Programme (WHP), which is working with local providers to offer co-ordinated support to those with multiple employment barriers, will help 275,000 people over 5 years, including 220,000 disabled people.

• Other DWP initiatives include Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES) due to launch before the end of 2019, Access to Work and Disability Confident. In addition, our Jobcentres offer tailored support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers, backed by the Personal Support Package which is a 4 year, £330 million package of employment support targeted at claimants with disabilities and health conditions.

• In respect of those at a disadvantage in the labour market, five DWP locally funded innovation pilots were launched between February and June 2018, aimed at providing tailored support to tackle long term barriers to work and in-work progression for those on low pay.

In respect of (c) `double membership to the Disability Confident scheme:` We are actively working with internal and external stakeholders, including the high profile Business Leaders Group, other representatives of Business and Jobcentre Plus, to promote the Disability Confident scheme and encourage employer sign up. As of 13th September 2019, the latest published figures show that 13,600 employers had signed up to the scheme and that number is growing week by week.

In respect of (d) ‘consult on reforming statutory sick pay,’ we published the consultation `health is everyone’s business` in mid-July and it closed on 7 October. We have received a good response from a range of stakeholders and we are currently reviewing the detailed responses to inform decisions on next steps.