Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of Access to Work claiming in excess of £40,800 have motor neurone disease; and what support his Department will provide for recipients in need of a grant in excess of £40,800 in order to remain in work.

The Department does not hold information on the number of Access to Work customers with motor neurone disease.

The limit of £40,800 will apply to new customers from October 2015, and from April 2018 for existing customers whose awards are above this limit in October 2015, provided their needs remain the same.

Customers’ progress towards meeting the cap will be monitored at their annual review points when they and their employers will receive support from teams of specialist advisers. These specialist advisers will work with customers and employers to explore how the maximum support can be deployed to greatest effect.

Advisers are able to discuss reasonable adjustments with employers and provide advice on additional cost effective ways of support employers may not have considered – for example on the latest technology which our advisers are made aware of from dedicated technology awareness sessions. They will also offer advice to customers on managing personal budgets when they are rolled out later in 2015/16.