Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Rejected
Paragraph: 117
The way the Government has communicated with disabled people has, on occasions, caused confusion and...
Recommendation
The way the Government has communicated with disabled people has, on occasions, caused confusion and compounded already keenly felt anxiety. The chosen method and timing of communications with people categorised as clinically extremely vulnerable, and therefore likely to be living under very considerable stress, has sometimes been poorly thought out, with insufficient consideration given to the psychological effects on recipients and their families. We recommend Ministers and officials involved in communicating public health messages to disabled people should undergo training in psychologically informed communications which take fully into account and empathise with disabled people’s lived experience.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that training for Ministers and officials is optional rather than a mandatory requirement.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
117
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government · verbatim extract
Rejected
Fourth Special Report of Session 2019–21 13 The House of Commons offers a range of support on demand for Members’ Professional Development, covering parliamentary skills, office essentials, developing expertise, representation and engagement and personal impact. The House provides Disability Awareness—‘Getting it Right on Disability’ training to support the staff of the MPs particularly those with management responsibilities. The Civil Service is committed to developing inclusive workplaces and currently provides two development courses for officials on disability issues: • ‘Becoming Disability Confident’ to raise awareness of disabilities in the workplace and understand the different types of disability which staff may encounter. • ‘Disability Inclusive Management’ to explore what an inclusive management approach looks, sounds and feels like, as well as the behaviours that can enable or impede that approach. Accessible Communications
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