Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to respond to increases in the volume of claims for the Access to Work grant scheme as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

In recognition of the challenges COVID-19 may present, Access to Work has introduced a number of measures to support disabled people whether they are working from home, or returning to their workplaces. The new Blended Offer complements support provided by employers and contains a flexible mix of support, including support to work from more than one location, a package of home working support which can be blended with workplace support, mental health support for people returning to work after a period of furlough or shielding, travel-to-work support where the individual’s disability means social distancing on public transport is too risky and the prioritisation of applications from disabled people in the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Group.