Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support his Department has made available in 2016-17 to assist employers supporting disabled people.

The Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Access to Work scheme provides financial awards to disabled people in order to fund additional support above the level of an employer’s statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments. This supports disabled people to retain work or take up new opportunities, but does not replace employers’ duties under the Equality Act 2010.

In addition, Disability Confident supports this Government’s commitment to halve the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people by engaging with employers, who have a crucial role to play in ensuring disabled people are recruited, retained and developed in their careers. The scheme gives employers the opportunity to assess how Disability Confident their business is and sign up at one of three levels. They complete each level before moving on to the next.

DWP is currently trialling a Small Employer Offer, which provides small employers with a personalised package of support, including adaptations and advice and a payment of £500 after three months when they take on new employees who have a health condition or disability.