Select Committee · Women and Equalities Committee

Equality at work: flexible working and disability

Status: Open Opened: 30 Apr 2026

Inquiry scope

The Women and Equalities Committee is examining disabled workers’ and jobseekers’ access to flexible working arrangements. The inquiry is considering experiences of flexible working across different groups of disabled people and sectors of the labour market. It will examine associated schemes, such as Access to Work. It is considering the effectiveness of the law in this area, including employers’ duties to provide “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act and changes, set out in the Employment Rights Act 2025, intended to widen access to flexible working arrangements. British Sign Language version of the terms of reference | Easy Read version of the terms of reference

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions

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Date	Session and witnesses	Source
2 Sep 2026	Women and Equalities Committee Dr Paula Holland · Lancaster University, Professor Daniel Wheatley · University of Birmingham, Professor Heejung Chung · King's College London, Professor Jane Parry · University of Southamptom	View ↗
15 Jul 2026	Women and Equalities Committee Alison Thwaite · The Down's Syndrome Association, Clare Ogden · Action for ME, Fazilet Hadi MBE · Disability Rights UK, James Taylor · Scope, Patricia Stapleton · Arthritis UK	View ↗

Written evidence

11 submissions recorded

Submission metadata is shown here; use the source links to read the evidence on Parliament’s website.

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Reference	Date	Submitter
FWD0101 Full text not held	7 Sep 2026	Professor Jane Parry
FWD0003 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Disability Balance Peter Crowley, Windsor Actuarial
FWD0016 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Mrs Tonimarie Benaton, SWET
FWD0092 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Alice Arkwright, Trade Union Congress (TUC)
FWD0093 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Charlotte Reed
FWD0094 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	University of Lancashire
FWD0097 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Arthritis UK
FWD0096 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	SOUTHAMPTON BUSINESS SCHOOL
FWD0098 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	University of West of England Bristol
FWD0099 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Down's Syndrome Association
FWD0100 Full text not held	2 Sep 2026	Social Enterprise Scotland

Who gave evidence

9 witnesses

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Witness	Organisation	Sessions
Alison Thwaite · Head of Employment Services	The Down's Syndrome Association	1
Clare Ogden · Head of Support Services	Action for ME	1
Dr Paula Holland · Senior Lecturer in Public Health	Lancaster University	1
Fazilet Hadi MBE · Head of Policy, Advice and Information	Disability Rights UK	1
James Taylor · Executive Director, Strategy, Impact and Social Change	Scope	1
Patricia Stapleton · Senior Policy Manager	Arthritis UK	1
Professor Daniel Wheatley · Director of the Work Inclusivity Research Centre	University of Birmingham	1
Professor Heejung Chung · Director, King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership	King's College London	1
Professor Jane Parry · Professor of Work and Employment	University of Southamptom	1