Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People to ensure that the two-thirds of blind and partially sighted people identified as feeling that they have lost their independence during lockdown are able to access services as the restrictions in place to address COVID-19 are lifted.

The Government is fully committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access

to updated guidance, including workplace and transport related guidance during the COVID-19 outbreak. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We worked with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to transcribe gov.uk pages on general coronavirus guidelines and financial advice into spoken word formats. This guidance is available on RNIB phone lines. This ensures that visually impaired people without access to the internet are able to receive the same advice as sighted people with internet access.

The Cabinet Office Disability Unit continues to work with stakeholders, such as the RNIB, and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.