Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 101
The Minister also told us that that the application process for Access to Work, which...
Recommendation
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, people with low digital literacy receive the support they need to access it.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response outlines a review of the Disability Confident scheme, including its assessment levels and complaints process, but it does not address the recommendation to ensure support for people with low digital literacy during the digital transformation of the Access to Work application process.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
101
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
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 speed up the payment process, reduce the customer journey time and enable customers to better navigate GOV.UK by redesigning pages and improving signposting from other government services. Access to Work will retain the helpline number so that where someone experiences difficulties with the application, or finds it difficult due to low digital literacy, the Access to Work agent can support them through this over the telephone. We are also working with our Digital teams on how we may improve the accessibility of the digital process such as looking at BSL videos to help explain the process.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗