Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that benefits helplines are fully accessible to people with physical and learning disabilities.

If customers have difficulties using the phone, they can use the following services:

• Relay UK which is a national service provided by BT that helps people with hearing and speech difficulties communicate with people over the phone. This can be used to contact all of our benefit and pension services.
• Textphone which is available for all benefits and pensions services. The textphone number is given with the other contact details in benefits and pensions guides.
• Video Relay Service (VRS) which is available to customers claiming Universal Credit, in disability benefits and Access to Work. By October we will further extend VRS into all DWP services. VRS enables British Sign Language (BSL) users to contact DWP via a BSL interpreter. The customer uses a video link accessed through their own computer, smartphone or tablet. The interpreter will then speak to a DWP agent relaying the conversation by phone. There is no need for anyone to be in the same location and the customer does not have to book the service in advance. This means that the customer and DWP agent can have a telephone conversation in real time.

If customers cannot use these, they can ask for:

• communication by email –if they tell us this is because of their disability or health condition.
• support from a family member, a friend or someone else such as a welfare rights adviser – as long as they have the customer’s permission to help them.
• a home visit.