Recommendations & Conclusions
38 items
1
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
It is regrettable that the publication of three key documents—the Green Paper, the National Strategy and the Government’s response to the “Health is everyone’s business” consultation—has been delayed significantly over the course of our inquiry. The Government’s approach to the timing of their publication has severely limited Parliament’s opportunities to …
Government response. There has been good progress in reducing the disability employment gap – it has closed by around 5 percentage points since 2013 (when the current way of measuring disability began). Having clear goals to reduce the disability employment gap and …
Department for Work and Pensions
2
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
There is broad support for the premise that the Government should have a target for improving disabled people’s employment rates. Views about what that target should be, however, differ. Both absolute and relative targets have drawbacks. Although the overall number of disabled people in work has increased since 2013, this …
Government response. The Government collects, and monitors, a number of different indicators when monitoring disability employment. Throughout this, we need to remember that we are focused on disabled people and that the data is a means to understand trends in employment, the …
Department for Work and Pensions
3
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We recommend that the Government adopt a target with two elements: closing the disability employment gap and increasing the number of disabled people in work. It should re-adopt its previous target of halving the disability employment gap. Alongside this, it should adopt a new, more ambitious absolute target aimed at …
Government response. The ONS published information on outcomes for disabled people across areas of life: education, employment, social participation, housing, well-being, loneliness, and crime in February 2021. Outcomes for disabled people in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) This gave …
Department for Work and Pensions
4
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
In isolation, however, even the measures underlying this target do not give a full picture of the Government’s progress on disability employment or disabled people’s experiences of work. Instead of relying on a single measure, the Government should collect data against a set of indicators. It should continue to monitor …
Government response. We note the distinction in thinking about symptoms and diagnosis. In the case of PIP (Personal Independence Payments), the focus on function and ability demonstrates our commitment to symptoms, not diagnoses. Data on employment, disability and type of impairment (such …
Department for Work and Pensions
5
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We welcome the fact that questions about autism have been added to the ONS Labour Force Survey, which will enable the Government to collect more detailed data about autistic people’s experiences of work. The Government should commit to publishing this data as soon as possible. It should also set out …
Government response. We know that reporting and transparency on the recruitment, retention, and promotion of disabled people, and creating positive and disability inclusive workplace environments, has lots of potential benefits. We know some businesses are in favour of or already reporting on …
Department for Work and Pensions
6
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The ONS’ Labour Force Survey (LFS) is currently unable to capture how people affected by the same broad symptom groups, such as energy limitation, are in employment. This is because the questions in the survey focus on medical diagnosis rather than symptoms. We recommend that DWP should work with the …
Government response. The National Disability Strategy focuses on the issues that disabled people have told us matter to them across all aspects of their daily lives, including employment. Pay gaps are caused by a range of factors, and to address them, we …
Department for Work and Pensions
7
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
Mandatory reporting, which would require employers to publish data about the number of disabled people they employ, could be a highly effective way of holding employers to account and driving forward progress on closing the disability employment gap. This data will only be accurate if employees feel comfortable disclosing their …
Government response. The Department is assessing the effectiveness of the Work and Health Programme, including the delivery of the Work and Health Programme by our Local Government Partners, London and Manchester combined authorities. This will help inform our future decisions on the …
Department for Work and Pensions
8
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We are not yet persuaded, however, that requiring employers to report data on the “disability pay gap” is the right way forward. We share the Minister’s concern that this data could risk giving a misleading impression of employers who have made genuine progress in recruiting more disabled people, but where …
Government response. Partnership Managers in Jobcentres are responsible for building links with local welfare- to-work service providers, including further education colleges and independent training providers. This ensures that appropriate support is in place for claimants who require support to find employment or …
Department for Work and Pensions
9
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
There is evidence that localised support, which is often delivered by small, specialist providers, helps disabled people get into and stay in work. All too often, however, 72 Disability employment gap disabled people are reliant on large, national programmes, or on discretionary, ad hoc support provided by Jobcentre Plus. Neither …
Government response. Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services (EA in IAPT) support IAPT clients with depression and anxiety disorders. Our EAs work in 40 percent of clinical commissioning groups alongside therapists to support clients, who are both in work …
Department for Work and Pensions
10
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
DWP should reimagine fundamentally how it provides employment support to disabled people. We recommend that DWP should carry out a significant expansion of the number of Devolved Deal Areas, granting more powers to local authorities to set up their own localised version of the Work and Health Programme. Any devolution …
Government response. The Health-Led Trials evaluation results are due in 2022. They will provide a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the trials on employment, health, and wellbeing outcomes. We are currently working closely with the external research team to ensure results …
Department for Work and Pensions
11
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The default position should be that groups of local authorities, perhaps based on the recently-defined NHS integrated care system boundaries, where they have the will and capacity to do so, are responsible for delivering employment support for disabled people. DWP should provide funding and support to enable them to do …
Government response. It is DWP policy to ensure disabled claimants with complex needs and those who need additional support are supported using different method of communication. We are committed to making our services more accessible for disabled people and have made a …
Department for Work and Pensions
12
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
Locally-commissioned employment support will require close working between local government and a variety of partners, including the NHS. Integrated care systems (ICSs) have an important role to play in strengthening these partnerships. The Government’s ambition is for every area in England to be covered by an ICS. ICSs already bring …
Government response. Jobcentre staff undergo comprehensive ongoing learning which continues at point of need throughout their role. This provides them with the knowledge and skills training to enable them to treat each claimant as an individual and to discuss with each claimant …
Department for Work and Pensions
13
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The evidence we heard in favour of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) as a model of employment support is overwhelmingly positive. We welcome the fact that the Department has invested in trials of IPS. We urge the Department to bring forward publication of its analysis of data from these trials …
Government response. The Government recognises that work is not an option for all disabled people, but many disabled people who can and want to work find themselves excluded from the workplace. For those disabled people who do find themselves excluded, the National …
Department for Work and Pensions
14
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
It is unacceptable that some disabled people still face barriers when trying to access services through Jobcentre Plus. It is particularly shocking that services provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, whose ministerial team includes the Minister for Disabled People and which is responsible for a significant proportion of …
Government response. As planned, in October 2021 Government entered private live testing of an early version of a service to support employers managing health and disability in the workplace. This is designed to help prevent avoidable job loss on grounds of health …
Department for Work and Pensions
15
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We heard that more needs to be done to improve the way a disabled person’s communication preferences are recorded by Jobcentre Plus. DWP should take inspiration from the Accessible Information Standard model used in the NHS and create an automated process which can record a disabled person’s preferred communication method …
Government response. Marketing campaign DWP is committed to improving awareness of Access to Work. We have delivered a paid communication campaign to increase awareness of Access to Work and increase take- up of grants. The proactive communication campaign included a combination of …
Department for Work and Pensions
16
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We welcome the fact that the Department has increased the number of Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) in Jobcentres. DEAs can provide specialist support to disabled people in a way that generalist Work Coaches do not, and the increase in numbers will go some way to addressing the fall in the …
Government response. This year we are spending £5 million on Access to Work to commence delivery of a fully digital customer service that is innovative, visible and provides an improved customer experience. 16 Disability employment gap: Government response The digital improvements will …
Department for Work and Pensions
17
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We welcome the fact that DWP already encourages providers of some of its disability support schemes to adopt job carving as part of their support to participants. The Department, however, should do more to support and encourage employers to adopt job carving practices when recruiting a person with a disability. …
Government response. We will be piloting a personalised Adjustment Passport to support: • young disabled people with the transition from education, and • service leavers who are leaving the armed forces and moving into civilian employment, and • contractors and freelancers who …
Department for Work and Pensions
18
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We heard from disabled people and disability organisations that some employers simply don’t understand their legal obligations to provide reasonable adjustments, whilst others continue to flout the law deliberately. The way in which disability is defined in the Equality Act has also left some employers and employees unclear about how …
Government response. In response to the predecessor Committee recommendation the Access to Work call handling journey for customers was reviewed and the issues identified addressed. Disability employment gap: Government response 17 Access to Work now provides a number of different channels through …
Department for Work and Pensions
19
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The introduction of an online information hub for employers is an initial step in the right direction. We urge the Government to ensure that its information and advice service goes live as planned no later than August 2021. DWP must ensure that this hub contains clear guidance for employers about …
Government response. The National Disability Strategy announced our intention to review the Disability Confident scheme (Levels 2 and 3) and in response DWP will work with the Disability Confident Professional Advisers Group (PAG), the Business Leaders Group (BLG), charities and other key …
Department for Work and Pensions
20
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
Some disability organisations have spoken positively about the Access to Work scheme: when it works, it can be a vital source of support for disabled people in work. We have consistently heard, however, several reoccurring criticisms of the scheme from disability organisations and disabled people alike. We have heard that …
Government response. As part of our review of Disability Confident we will consider how we can measure the impact and success of the scheme. This review will also consider the Cabinet Office consultation into mandatory and voluntary reporting. The growth and take-up …
Department for Work and Pensions
21
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The Minister also told us that that the application process for Access to Work, which is currently paper-based, will undergo a “digital transformation” this year. This is long overdue, and we look forward to seeing how this work progresses. The Department must ensure, however, that as the service goes digital, …
Government response. The Disability Confident scheme was developed by disabled people, disability organisations and employers with the aim being that employers took responsibility and demonstrated their commitment to being Disability Confident. This approach was endorsed by the Disability Confident Steering Group, including …
Department for Work and Pensions
22
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
Support from Access to Work is only available for disabled people once they have been offered a job. This means that disabled people who are looking for work face uncertainty about whether they will receive the support they need, should they find a job, and that if they do, there …
Government response. At all levels, employers are required to adhere to key commitments within the scheme. At Disability Confident Committed (Level 1), this includes: attracting disabled people and ensuring that their recruitment processes are fully inclusive and accessible; communicating and promoting vacancies …
Department for Work and Pensions
23
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The Minister said that the Department intends to pilot “passports” for jobseekers from particular groups, including students and veterans, which we welcome. These passports are intended to give job applicants certainty about what support they can receive through Access to Work before they have been offered a job. We recommend …
Government response. The Health is Everyone’s Business (HiEB) consultation response was published in July 2021 and aims to reduce ill-health related job loss and see 1 million more disabled people in work from 2017 to 2027. The measures Government is taking forward …
Department for Work and Pensions
24
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
Our predecessor Committee recommended that the Department should improve the effectiveness of the Access to Work central call centre system. In response, the Department said that it recognised the importance of taking action to correct the issues with the system. We have heard, however, that problems accessing support through the …
Government response. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is designed to balance support for an individual when they are unable to work with the costs to employers of providing this support. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, government made a series of unprecedented changes …
Department for Work and Pensions
25
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
To assess whether Disability Confident is meeting its objectives of increasing disability employment and changing employers’ attitudes and recruitment practices, our predecessor Committee recommended that DWP should commission an evaluation of Disability Confident by 2020. DWP accepted the recommendation and in July 2018 said that it was developing proposals for …
Government response. Flexible / Remote working The Government recognises that there is no ‘one size-fits-all’ approach to flexible working arrangements and that the extent to which remote working is suitable for individuals will depend on personal and organisational circumstances. It is therefore …
Department for Work and Pensions
26
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
By the Department’s own admission, it is not possible to know whether Disability Confident is having any meaningful beneficial impact on the employment prospects of disabled people. As part of its evaluation, the Department should explore ways in which it can measure the success of the Disability Confident scheme. This …
Government response. Analysis has already been undertaken, by the ONS, to estimate the association between self-reported disability and deaths involving COVID-19. The following article concluded that a combination of factors (residence type, geography, socio-demographics, and health conditions) partly explained the increased risk …
Department for Work and Pensions
27
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
As part of its evaluation, to improve the effectiveness of the scheme, we recommend that the Department should establish an independent body to carry out objective external assessments of Disability Confident employers at levels 2 and 3 to monitor whether they are fulfilling their obligations. The Department should consider what …
Government response. Kickstart Scheme is open to claimants with a disability Young people with a disability or health condition on Universal Credit who wish to take up the opportunity of a Kickstart job can discuss what roles they are interested in and …
Department for Work and Pensions
28
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We heard evidence that the Disability Confident Commitments (the criteria an employer must agree to in order to receive Level 1 accreditation) are not challenging 76 Disability employment gap enough for employers and focus too heavily on changing recruitment processes rather than committing employers to recruit and retain disabled employees. …
Government response. The Restart Scheme is specifically designed for those who are fit for work and in need of that extra support to get back into sustained employment. The Payment by Results model incentivises providers to help as many people as possible …
Department for Work and Pensions
29
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
We welcome the publication of the Government’s response to the Health is everyone’s business consultation, which closed in 2019. We look forward to scrutinising the Government’s proposals in greater detail, particularly on improving access to occupational health for people in smaller businesses, which may not have dedicated HR functions. We …
Government response. The Green Paper explores how the benefits system can better meet the needs of claimants now and in the future by improving claimant experience of our services, enabling independent living, and improving employment outcomes. We are now analysing the responses. …
Department for Work and Pensions
30
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
It is disappointing that the Government has decided not to progress with plans for reforming Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). The Government acknowledges that there is clear support for SSP reform. The pandemic has highlighted some of the key weaknesses in the SSP system: notably, SSP is not available to two …
Government response. The Committee’s 2018 report on benefit sanctions recommended that certain groups of claimants in the Health Journey be exempt from conditionality and sanctions. In the Government’s response, the Department committed to explore a Proof of Concept (PoC) for a voluntary-first …
Department for Work and Pensions
31
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the number of people working remotely. It is clear from the evidence we heard that while remote working has created new access barriers for some disabled people, for many others it has aided their participation in the labour market. The evidence …
Government response. The Cabinet Office based Disability Unit has led development of the National Disability Strategy, working across government and reporting to DWP Ministers. The National Disability Strategy was published on 28 July 2021 and aims to improve disabled people’s everyday lives. …
Department for Work and Pensions
32
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
There is no clear evidence which explains why disabled people have a considerably raised risk of death from coronavirus. There is a need for further research to investigate the extent to which disabled people’s experiences in the workplace may play a part in this. We recommend that DWP work with …
Government response. Recommendation We recommend that DWP work with HSE to commission research to better understand whether there is a link between occupational settings and the raised risk of death from coronavirus for disabled people. Response Analysis has already been undertaken, by …
Department for Work and Pensions
33
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
DWP must ensure that the Kickstart and Restart schemes are accessible to disabled people. Before September 2017, the Work Programme reported quarterly on job outcomes for disabled people: the Department should be able to do as good a job with Restart and Kickstart. Publishing an evaluation of how well the …
Government response. Recommendation DWP must ensure that the Kickstart and Restart schemes are accessible to disabled people. We recommended that the Department should immediately improve how it collects data about claimants’ characteristics in the Universal Credit system so that it can monitor, …
Department for Work and Pensions
34
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
DWP must demonstrate that lessons have been learnt from previous schemes and ensure that the payment model used in Restart does not disincentivise providers from supporting those who are furthest away from the labour market, including some disabled people. Although Restart will not be a specialist disability programme, some disabled …
Government response. Recommendation DWP must demonstrate that lessons have been learnt from previous schemes and ensure that the payment model used in Restart does not disincentivise providers from supporting those who are furthest away from the labour market, including some disabled people. …
Department for Work and Pensions
35
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is not fit for purpose. The fact that a majority of appeals against fit for work decisions are successful is evidence that it is not achieving its aim of supporting disabled people who can and want to work into employment. The assessment process can also …
Government response. Recommendation The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is not fit for purpose. DWP should use the Green Paper as a starting point to carry out wholesale reform of the WCA. Response The Green Paper explores how the benefits system can better …
Department for Work and Pensions
36
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
Sanctions can have a negative impact not only on disabled people’s employment prospects, but on their overall wellbeing. The Minister told us that the conditionality regime forms part of a “menu of support” and that sanctions are only used as a last resort, but even he acknowledged that it is …
Government response. Recommendation DWP should set out the evidence in support of its new sanction approach, what involvement disabled people had in developing it, and what plans it has to evaluate it. It should also provide its most recent evidence on the …
Department for Work and Pensions
37
Conclusion
Second Report - Disability employment g…
It is encouraging to hear that the Department is beginning to take steps to rebuild its relationship with disabled people. But the Department still has a long way to go. Effective and meaningful engagement with disabled people, when developing policy proposals that will impact them, is one way the Department …
Government response. Recommendation The evidence we heard suggests that the Department’s engagement with disabled people on developing its National Strategy for Disabled People has been poor. We recommend that the Department immediately accept SSAC’s proposal for a protocol for engaging with disabled …
Department for Work and Pensions
38
Recommendation
Second Report - Disability employment g…
The evidence we heard suggests that the Department’s engagement with disabled people on developing its National Strategy for Disabled People has been poor. We recommend that the Department immediately accept SSAC’s proposal for a protocol for engaging with disabled people. In response to this report, the Department should set out …
Government response. The Cabinet Office based Disability Unit has led development of the National Disability Strategy, working across government and reporting to DWP Ministers. The National Disability Strategy was published on 28 July 2021 and aims to improve disabled people’s everyday lives. …
Department for Work and Pensions