Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Access to Work Scheme

Monday 30 November 2020 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Wera Hobhouse asked about steps to promote the Access to Work scheme to employers.
  • The Minister thanked Hobhouse and mentioned meeting her on 14 December to discuss the matter.
  • The Government is committed to working with over 19,000 Disability Confident employers to promote Access to Work.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question arises from concerns over the limited awareness and utilisation of Access to Work among employers.

Question

What steps are being taken to increase the promotion of the Access to Work scheme to employers? According to recent research, 42% of employers feel discouraged from hiring people with a disability because they lack confidence in supporting their needs during the pandemic. Will the Government consider fast-tracking Access to Work applications for disabled individuals through the kickstart scheme as recommended by Leonard Cheshire?

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

I thank the hon. Member for that question. I know I am meeting the hon. Member on 14 December to discuss this in more detail. I am also meeting the new chief executive of Leonard Cheshire, so I will discuss that report in detail. We are proud to have delivered record disability employment last year with 43,000 people benefiting from Access to Work, an increase of 20%. Through schemes like Access to Work and Disability Confident, we engage employers to support a diverse workforce.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request to fast-track applications for disabled individuals was not directly addressed.

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Q2 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question arises from concerns over the limited awareness and utilisation of Access to Work among employers.

Question

What steps are being taken to increase the promotion of the Access to Work scheme to employers? According to recent research, 42% of employers feel discouraged from hiring people with a disability because they lack confidence in supporting their needs during the pandemic. Will the Government consider fast-tracking Access to Work applications for disabled individuals through the kickstart scheme as recommended by Leonard Cheshire?

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

We are committed to ensuring that people with disabilities and long-term health conditions get the vital support that Access to Work provides. That includes working with more than 19,000 Disability Confident employers to enable them to promote access to work through their networks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request to fast-track applications for disabled individuals was not directly addressed.

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How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

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