Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure the adequacy of Access to Work grants to fund the support requirements of employers offering placements.

Funding has been secured to continue the scheme for the entire Spending Review period.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. Since Access to Work was first designed, the style, scope and cost of the support that people require has changed significantly, yet Access to Work has stayed broadly the same.

We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course. The findings from this will inform the chosen future direction of Access to Work. Once this is established, we will consider timelines and work closely with stakeholders to ensure an appropriate transition.