Written questions by Snowden.

With reference to the White Paper entitled Get Britain Working, published on 26 November 2024, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises to improve access to occupational health services.

The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care are committed to supporting people with their employment journey. Expert-led impartial advice, and interventions such as Occupational Health, can help employers provide appropriate and timely work-based support to manage their employees’ health conditions, and also support business productivity. The Joint Work Health Directorate Occupational Health reform programme has focused on increasing access and uptake of occupational health. This has included increasing private market coverage of employer led Occupational Health to help businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, to support disabled employees and those with health conditions to get in and on in work and get back into appropriate work as quickly as possible. Through this programme we have also explored how we enable a sustainable workforce to support good quality provision across all sectors. The Department for Work and Pensions additionally offers support to small and medium-sized enterprises through a number of programmes, such as the Disability Confident Scheme, which provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to employ those with a disability or health condition and a digital information service for (Support with Employee Health and Disability), which provides tailored guidance on supporting employees in common workplace scenarios involving health and disability. Employers, including those from Small and Medium enterprises can also refer to WorkWell pilots which went live from October 2024 in 15 areas across England. Available to people both in and out of work, it provides low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Upon publication of our Get Britain Working White Paper, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent Keep Britain Working Review as a part of the plan to Get Britain Working again. In recognition of the vital role of businesses of all sizes, Sir Charlie Mayfield is considering recommendations to support and enable employers to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence, and recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 51543 on Cost of Living: Fylde, how the allocation for Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales is being managed; and what steps she is taking to ensure that vulnerable renters have access to these payments in Fylde constituency.

Local authorities administer the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) scheme as they are best placed to make informed judgements about relative priorities and needs in their area to ensure that the most vulnerable are supported and the funds are targeted effectively. To support local authorities to deliver the scheme effectively, DWP publishes local authority guidance and engages with local authorities through regular forums. We consider the allocation of DHPs to individual local authorities each year; consultation with local authorities is included as part of this process. Local authorities are required to provide details of their DHP expenditure every six months, and this enables officials to closely monitor spend to ensure funding is targeted effectively (Discretionary Housing Payments statistics - GOV.UK).

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51541 on Disability: Employment, what the criteria is to qualify for the Disability Confident Scheme.

Internal management information suggests that as of the 1st June 2025, there are:a) 31 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Fylde.b) 368 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Lancashire.Whether a member is based in these geographies has been determined using the postcode provided by the organisation upon registration i.e., when they signed up to the scheme or renewed their membership. This will not capture Disability Confident members who operate in Fylde or Lancashire, but who have provided a postcode from outside the region. As internal management information, this data has not been fully quality assured. Any employer can join the scheme. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place specific, effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment. The criteria can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: guidance for levels 1, 2 and 3 - GOV.UK The strengths of the scheme lie in its ability to raise awareness, provide valuable resources, and support employers in their journey towards becoming disability confident. There are no benchmarks set to measure the success of the scheme, but in 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK. We work closely with Jobcentre Plus including the Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) who are committed to promoting Disability Confident to their network of employer contacts across the UK. This is delivered through one-to-one meetings, employer focused events and workshops, job-fairs etc. We also work closely with the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG). The BLG, comprising senior leaders from significant businesses across all sectors, is helping to increase engagement with employers. The group promotes the scheme through their sectors and network and works with DWP officials to identify any changes or developments that will improve the effectiveness of the scheme. I have been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust and officials will continue to discuss reform proposals with stakeholders throughout the summer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51541 on Disability: Employment, what steps she is taking to promote the Disability Confident Scheme.

Internal management information suggests that as of the 1st June 2025, there are:a) 31 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Fylde.b) 368 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Lancashire.Whether a member is based in these geographies has been determined using the postcode provided by the organisation upon registration i.e., when they signed up to the scheme or renewed their membership. This will not capture Disability Confident members who operate in Fylde or Lancashire, but who have provided a postcode from outside the region. As internal management information, this data has not been fully quality assured. Any employer can join the scheme. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place specific, effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment. The criteria can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: guidance for levels 1, 2 and 3 - GOV.UK The strengths of the scheme lie in its ability to raise awareness, provide valuable resources, and support employers in their journey towards becoming disability confident. There are no benchmarks set to measure the success of the scheme, but in 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK. We work closely with Jobcentre Plus including the Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) who are committed to promoting Disability Confident to their network of employer contacts across the UK. This is delivered through one-to-one meetings, employer focused events and workshops, job-fairs etc. We also work closely with the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG). The BLG, comprising senior leaders from significant businesses across all sectors, is helping to increase engagement with employers. The group promotes the scheme through their sectors and network and works with DWP officials to identify any changes or developments that will improve the effectiveness of the scheme. I have been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust and officials will continue to discuss reform proposals with stakeholders throughout the summer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51541 on Disability: Employment, how many employers have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

Internal management information suggests that as of the 1st June 2025, there are:a) 31 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Fylde.b) 368 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Lancashire.Whether a member is based in these geographies has been determined using the postcode provided by the organisation upon registration i.e., when they signed up to the scheme or renewed their membership. This will not capture Disability Confident members who operate in Fylde or Lancashire, but who have provided a postcode from outside the region. As internal management information, this data has not been fully quality assured. Any employer can join the scheme. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place specific, effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment. The criteria can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: guidance for levels 1, 2 and 3 - GOV.UK The strengths of the scheme lie in its ability to raise awareness, provide valuable resources, and support employers in their journey towards becoming disability confident. There are no benchmarks set to measure the success of the scheme, but in 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK. We work closely with Jobcentre Plus including the Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) who are committed to promoting Disability Confident to their network of employer contacts across the UK. This is delivered through one-to-one meetings, employer focused events and workshops, job-fairs etc. We also work closely with the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG). The BLG, comprising senior leaders from significant businesses across all sectors, is helping to increase engagement with employers. The group promotes the scheme through their sectors and network and works with DWP officials to identify any changes or developments that will improve the effectiveness of the scheme. I have been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust and officials will continue to discuss reform proposals with stakeholders throughout the summer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51541 on Disability: Employment, what benchmarks her Department has set to measure the success of the Disability Confident Scheme.

Internal management information suggests that as of the 1st June 2025, there are:a) 31 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Fylde.b) 368 members signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme in Lancashire.Whether a member is based in these geographies has been determined using the postcode provided by the organisation upon registration i.e., when they signed up to the scheme or renewed their membership. This will not capture Disability Confident members who operate in Fylde or Lancashire, but who have provided a postcode from outside the region. As internal management information, this data has not been fully quality assured. Any employer can join the scheme. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place specific, effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment. The criteria can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: guidance for levels 1, 2 and 3 - GOV.UK The strengths of the scheme lie in its ability to raise awareness, provide valuable resources, and support employers in their journey towards becoming disability confident. There are no benchmarks set to measure the success of the scheme, but in 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK. We work closely with Jobcentre Plus including the Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) who are committed to promoting Disability Confident to their network of employer contacts across the UK. This is delivered through one-to-one meetings, employer focused events and workshops, job-fairs etc. We also work closely with the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG). The BLG, comprising senior leaders from significant businesses across all sectors, is helping to increase engagement with employers. The group promotes the scheme through their sectors and network and works with DWP officials to identify any changes or developments that will improve the effectiveness of the scheme. I have been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust and officials will continue to discuss reform proposals with stakeholders throughout the summer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the number of PIP claimants on the cost of reasonable adjustments required for disabled employees in the public sector.

Whether or not an employer makes a reasonable adjustment for an employee, and how much that costs, is independent of the benefit status of an employee, so no assessment has been made.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of job opportunities in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. In Fylde and Lancashire our Jobcentre teams are work closely with Blackpool Borough Council and Fylde Borough Council as well as a range of employers and providers to create numerous job opportunities. Our Employer and Partnership Team support events within the community, recently this has included the Northwest Apprenticeship & Careers Expo 2025 and the Fylde Coast 'Work this Way' Jobs Fair. The team also encourage the take up in initiatives such as Sector Based Work Academies, Mentoring Circles, Apprenticeships and Work Experience as these help our customers meet employers and partners and explore all the opportunities available to them. We will provide an update on our plans to Get Britain Working and the steps we are taking in due course.

What steps she is taking to ensure people with physical disabilities are able to access job opportunities in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with physical disabilities, and have a range of support available so individuals can stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. These include Additional Work Coach Support which provides disabled people and people with health conditions with increased one-to-one personalised support from their work coach to help them move towards, and into, work and access wider support including our employment programmes earlier. Support is now available in all Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales, informed by trialling in Jobcentres.Employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The Minister for Social Security and Disability has been discussing ideas for making the Disability Confident scheme criteria more robust with stakeholders and will be bringing forward proposals for this in due course.To build on this, the government has commissioned “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of means testing the Winter Fuel Payment on levels of pensioner poverty in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

On 19 November 2024, the Secretary of State wrote to the Work and Pensions Select Committee to share internal government modelling produced by the Department outlining the number of pensioners in the UK estimated to move into poverty as a result of the policy change. This letter is available here Winter Fuel Payments eligibility change - Letter from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.It is not possible to provide poverty breakdowns at a constituency or county level.

What assessment she has made of recent trends in the level of in the unemployment rate in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The information requested is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.aspGuidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of means testing the Winter Fuel Payment on NHS services in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

The Government has had to make difficult decisions in view of the state of the public finances that it inherited, including the decision to target the Winter Fuel Payment on those on the lowest incomes. The decisions mean we are able to provide additional investment in the NHS. This is to the benefit of everyone, including pensioners, who rely on its services. The Government is working to reform the NHS in England through the 10-year health plan, to build a health service that is fit for the future. As a first step, at the Autumn Budget, the Government announced a £22.6bn increase in day-to-day health spending in England and a £3.1bn increase in the capital budget over this year and next.

What estimate she has made of the number of eligible people who have applied for and are waiting to receive the winter fuel payment for winter 2024-25 in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

On 27 February 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025. Pension Credit Applications and Awards - February 2025.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on employment rates in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

As part of the Government’s ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate, the Employment Rights Bill will make work more secure, boost wages, and help working people thrive. In Fylde, our Jobcentre Employer and Partnership Teams work with a range of employers and partners to enhance the skills and employment support available locally. An example of this includes working closely with local employers, partners and providers to hold job fairs and events to support recruitments and supporting customers into sustainable employment. The Jobcentre also collaborates with the Local Authority, as well as other government departments and further education providers to improve employment opportunities for the people of Lancashire.

What the change is in the rate of unemployment in Fylde since the Autumn Budget 2024.

No estimate is available of the unemployment rate in Fylde since the Autumn Budget 2024. The latest estimates of unemployment, covers the period October 2023 – September 2024. This is available via ONS Nomisweb site: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

How many people in Fylde constituency are awaiting winter fuel payments for 2024-25.

We do not hold the data requested at constituency level. However, where the customer is eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, the Department aims to make this payment within 2 weeks of the award of their qualifying benefit. Customers won't miss out on Winter Fuel Payments even if their qualifying benefit takes longer to process than usual. Statistics on Winter Fuel Payments are published annually. The latest publication contains data on Winter Fuel Payments made in 2023/24.