Select Committee · Women and Equalities Committee

National Disability Strategy

Status: Closed Opened: 26 May 2022 Closed: 30 May 2024 21 recommendations 13 conclusions 7 reports

A Women and Equalities Committee inquiry to scrutinise the implementation and further development of the Government’s National Disability Strategy , which was published in July 2021. Accessibility of products and services to disabled people Read the full report (HTML) Read the EasyRead report on accessibility (PDF 1374KB) Read the large print report on accessibility(PDF 566KB) …

Clear

Reports

7 reports

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
1 Conclusion First Report - The National Disability … Rejected

National Disability Strategy criticised for lacking integration and disabled people's input.

Disabled people and their representative organisations told us they have had little to no influence over the National Disability Strategy. The result is a disability strategy in name only: a list consisting mainly of pre-existing departmental actions with minimal strategic thinking behind how those actions interact. Only a strategy which …

Government response. The government rejects the conclusion that disabled people had little influence over the National Disability Strategy, providing extensive details of meetings, consultations, surveys, and qualitative research undertaken with various disabled people's organizations and charities during its development.
Government Equalities Office
3 Conclusion First Report - The National Disability … Rejected

Government's engagement with disabled people on National Disability Strategy proved insufficient and exclusive.

The Government claimed to have carried out “the biggest listening exercise with disabled people in recent history” to inform the National Disability Strategy. We disagree. Rather than being listened to, many disabled people and their representative organisations felt excluded from the engagement process. The Government then chose to ignore their …

Government response. The government rejects the committee's conclusion by detailing the extensive engagement undertaken to develop the National Disability Strategy, including numerous meetings with various disability organisations, roundtables, and the UK Disability Survey.
Government Equalities Office
5 Conclusion Fourth Report - Accessibility of produc… Rejected

Market forces fail to improve online accessibility for disabled people

Disabled people should not have to look for alternatives or settle for less when using online shopping and services. Despite the untapped potential of the purple pound, market forces have failed to drive the urgent improvements that are necessary.

Government response. The government acknowledges the importance of online accessibility but states there is no time left in this Parliament to change the law to mandate accessibility. It notes a cross-government group is examining online exclusion and that government websites are being …
Government Equalities Office
6 Recommendation Fourth Report - Accessibility of produc… Rejected

Regulate essential private sector websites and applications to public sector accessibility standards

Given that disabled people increasingly need access to online services, information, and social networks, it is imperative that the Government acts on what it has described as the “persistently poor accessibility of private sector websites” without further delay. As a priority, private sector websites and applications which provide essential products …

Government response. The government rejects immediate legislative action to make private sector websites accessible, stating there is no time left in this Parliament to change the law. It notes that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has established a cross-government group …
Government Equalities Office

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions
Date Witnesses
5 Jul 2023 David Nuttall · Department of Health and Social Care, Jennifer Heigham · Department for Work and Pensions, Marcus Bell · Cabinet Office, Maria Caulfield MP · Government Equalities Office, Tom Pursglove MP · Department for Work and Pensions View ↗
17 May 2023 Angela Matthews · Business Disability Forum, Eric Harris · Research Institute for Disabled Consumers, Tammy Jones · Purple, Vivienne Francis · The Royal Institute of Blind People View ↗
26 Apr 2023 Ciara Lawrence · The Royal Mencap Society, George Appleton · Care England, Jackie O'Sullivan · The Royal Mencap Society, Jim Blair, Maya Stretton · National Autistic Society, Tim Nicholls · National Autistic Society View ↗
29 Mar 2023 Fazilet Hadi · Disability Rights UK, Fran Springfield · Chronic Illness Inclusion, Lord Shinkwin · The Centre for Social Justice Disability Commission, Martin McLean · National Deaf Children’s Society, Nil Guzelgun · MIND, Svetlana Kotova · Inclusion London View ↗
22 Feb 2023 Women and Equalities Committee View ↗

Correspondence

5 letters
DateDirectionTitle
24 Jan 2024 Correspondence from the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Educati…
6 Sep 2023 To cttee Letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for He…
18 Jul 2023 To cttee Letter from the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work on the N…
18 Jul 2023 To cttee Letter from the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work on the N…
19 Oct 2022 Correspondence from the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions relating …