Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Disabled People: Covid-19

Monday 14 September 2020 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • My Department has supported disabled customers during the covid outbreak by automatically extending existing personal independence payment awards and new flexible access to work support for people to work from home as well as in the workplace and ensuring that disabled people can access new support
  • For both the Green Paper and the national strategy for disabled people, we will be making sure that disabled people, disabled organisations and stakeholders are very much at the heart of shaping our future policies and service delivery
  • As a Government, we have provided an extra 9.3 billion-worth of support during the covid crisis, which has been very much welcomed

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joy Morrissey Con Beaconsfield
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP is concerned about the impact of the pandemic on disabled individuals and seeks to understand what actions are being taken by her Department to assist them.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to support disabled people during the covid-19 outbreak. My Department has supported disabled customers during the covid outbreak by automatically extending existing personal independence payment awards and new flexible access to work support for people to work from home as well as in the workplace and ensuring that disabled people can access new support, including kickstart.

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

My Department has supported disabled customers during the covid outbreak by automatically extending existing personal independence payment awards and new flexible access to work support for people to work from home as well as in the workplace and ensuring that disabled people can access new support, including kickstart.

Answered
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Q2 Joy Morrissey Con Beaconsfield
Women & Equalities
Context

The MP wants to ensure that disabled people and organizations have a say in shaping future policies through the Government's new national disability strategy.

Question

Can my hon. Friend reassure the House that he is meeting stakeholders from a diverse range of backgrounds to ensure the development of a disability policy that is inclusive to everyone? For both the Green Paper and the national strategy for disabled people, we will be making sure that disabled people, disabled organisations and stakeholders are very much at the heart of shaping our future policies and service delivery. We will be organising national, regional and local-led events and events in conjunction with stakeholders.

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

For both the Green Paper and the national strategy for disabled people, we will be making sure that disabled people, disabled organisations and stakeholders are very much at the heart of shaping our future policies and service delivery. We will be organising national, regional and local-led events and events in conjunction with stakeholders.

Answered
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Q3 Vicky Foxcroft Lab Lewisham North
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP is concerned about the delay in providing uplifted legacy benefits to disabled people and others who are entitled to them, despite a report stating it would take four to five months to deliver.

Question

Can the Minister update us on any progress made, specifically on uplifting legacy benefits? As of February this year, 1.9 million people in Great Britain, many of whom are disabled, are desperate for the Government to sort this. A DWP report states that it would take four to five months to deliver this. We are now four months on.

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

As a Government, we have provided an extra £9.3 billion-worth of support during the covid crisis, which has been very much welcomed. Specifically, in my area of disability, we will see spending increase this year from £19 billion to £20 billion, which is just shy of a 5% increase, and many disabled people will gain from the additional support provided through universal credit, through the increases in the discretionary housing payment, or through the £500 million given to local authorities as a hardship fund based on individual circumstances.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific progress on uplifting legacy benefits was not addressed.

How: General Support

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Q4 Neil Gray SNP
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP criticizes the UK Government's decision to exclude those on legacy benefits from the £20 a week increase in Universal Credit, affecting nearly 300,000 people in Scotland.

Question

Does the Minister agree that people on legacy benefits deserve the same amount of support as everybody else; and if he does, will he put his money where his mouth is and push the Chancellor to extend the uplift and make it permanent at the upcoming Budget? Nearly 300,000 people in Scotland are missing out on the £20 per week increase as a result.

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

The Government are putting money where their mouth is with the £9.3 billion-worth of support, which is pretty much unprecedented across the world. I would urge all claimants, disabled or not, to talk to their work coaches and review their circumstances to see whether they could be better off moving over to universal credit.

Not addressed: The Minister did not address whether people on legacy benefits deserve the same amount of support as those receiving Universal Credit.

How: Change Of Subject

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