Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available for staff being made redundant by the closure of the Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People.

Following notification of staff being at risk of redundancy DWP provides support to both employers and individuals through our dedicated service (the Rapid Redundancy Support).

Local Employer Advisors will make contact the employers/or individuals to offer support as a matter of urgency. Support is tailored and can vary depending on the scale of the redundancy and the level of support required. This can include:

• Group Information sessions or 121 sessions with individuals
• Providing information on the local labour market
• Individual Job Search Support
• Local Skills and Training support for specific sectors
• Support with CVs and Applications
• Information on Support for those with Health Conditions and Disabilities
• Information on Universal Credit and Pensions

DWP were notified by the Insolvency Service on the 18th of November of impending redundancies at the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People. DWP’s National RRS Team held a meeting with the Chief Executive on the 19th of November where RRS support was outlined. RRS factsheets were sent over for cascade to employees impacted and the National RRS team agreed to contact local jobcentres. Queen Elizabeth Foundation requested DWP support at several recruitment events previously organised at sites in Leatherhead and Carshalton.

On the 27th November at the Leatherhead site, the local Employer Adviser and Disability Employer Adviser attended a recruitment event and offered further support for those impacted by the redundancies. The attendance of the Disability Employer Adviser was at the specific request of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation

At the Carshalton site local DWP teams have reached out and have invited all employees to a local recruitment event being held next week.