Written questions by Jardine.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the requirement to pay childcare costs in advance prior to reimbursement through Universal Credit on levels of employment; and what steps she is taking to support affected families.

The Office for Budget Responsibility, in their Spring 2023 and October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published their economic impacts of various policy measures, including childcare. These can be found here: The economic effects of policy measures - Office for Budget Responsibility, Monitoring and evaluating the supply-side effects of policy measures - Office for Budget Responsibility. Parents who need help with their upfront childcare costs to move into work or increase their working hours may be eligible for support from the Flexible Support Fund. The Flexible Support Fund’s Upfront Childcare Costs can be used to pay 100% of the upfront costs of up to one month of childcare. This is designed to ensure that any costs that the Universal Credit customer incurs in relation to childcare when starting work or increasing their hours is not a barrier to taking up this work. We are streamlining the process and extending eligibility to parents returning from parental leave to improve access to upfront childcare support. We will also extend eligibility to parents returning from parental leave to ease the difficult transition back to work.

What steps he is taking to provide bereavement support to families grieving loved ones that passed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bereavement Support Payment provides support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments. It supports families though the immediate period of grief, including those who sadly lost loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps eligibility of all benefits under review.

What steps his Department is taking to support disabled people with the cost of living.

The government recognises that people are still feeling the squeeze on their finances with essential areas such as energy, food and housing remaining too high. That is why we have announced a range of support, including taking around £150 on average off household energy bills and expanding the £150 Warm Home Discount to 6 million lower income households and freezing regulated rail fares and NHS prescription fees for one-year.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the stigma around benefit assessments.

Following the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, we have launched our wider review of the PIP assessment. At the heart of this will be coproduction with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and MPs so their views and voices are heard. We’ve also made a commitment that those with severe, lifelong conditions will not be called for a UC reassessment – allowing them to live with dignity and security. We are also taking action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits. This includes exploring ways to improve trust and transparency in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Work Capability Assessments through reviewing our approach to safeguarding, recording assessments to increase trust in the process, and moving back to having more face-to-face assessments while continuing to meet the needs of people who may require different methods of assessment. We are committed to providing a multi-channel health assessment service. WCAs are still cleared using a questionnaire and supporting medical evidence where possible. Where this is not possible, individuals will be required to have a face-to-face, telephone or video assessment.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the correct accessibility equipment is available at all Job Centres.

As part of its ongoing commitment to service accessibility, the Department provides Customer Computers in all Jobcentres. These devices feature operating systems equipped with integrated assistive technologies—such as screen readers and screen magnifiers—and are managed independently from the broader DWP IT infrastructure. In addition to accessible software and operating systems, physical peripherals including specialised keyboards, headphones, and tracker-ball mice are available to meet reasonable adjustment needs. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is presently enhancing its customer equipment portfolio. The current range of customer computers will be upgraded to a new operating system that offers improved accessibility and enhanced adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Each device is configured so that the browser and operating system deliver comprehensive support for a wide variety of web accessibility tools, including but not limited to: Screen readersText-to-speech applicationsMagnification toolsLanguage translation resources

What steps she is taking to ensure jobseekers with complex disabilities receive the support and equipment they need to look for work.

We are delivering the biggest employment support package for disabled people and people with health conditions in more than a generation, worth a total of £3.8 billion over this Parliament. We are building towards a guarantee of personalised work, health and skills support to improve returns to work. Once fully rolled out this will include: A support conversation that will help identify the best next steps, including a range of personalised and more intensive supportSpecialist one-to-one support – this will build on evidence from recent pilot schemes, which has shown that, for some people, offering regular in-depth personalised appointments with a consistent advisor can help people who are ready to move towards or into workMore intensive longer-term work, health and skills support for those who are ready – building on evidence from programmes like the Work and Health Programme, Work Choice, Individual Placement and Support for those with severe mental illness or substance dependency, and evidence from successful skills training.Periodic engagement for people who are not yet ready for more work-focused engagement. Content and frequency will vary depending on individual need and - if and when ready - we will signpost or refer onto other support.Further to this, we are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform. The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition, to support workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.The two main types of provision are Assessments and Elements. Assessments seek to understand a person's barriers and how they may be overcome, whilst elements are the types of support to overcome them. These may include specialist equipment, physical adaptations to premises, help with the cost of travelling to work or a support worker. Not all claimants will require an assessmentTo be eligible for the Scheme, you must have a physical or mental health condition or disability that means you need support to do your job or get to and from work. You must be 16 or over, be in (or about to start or return to) paid work, and live in England, Scotland or Wales. Customers starting a job within 4 weeks are prioritised. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment. In addition, the Flexible Support Fund is a non-recoverable discretionary fund used to support eligible customers to move into employment, increase their earnings whilst in work (through increased hours or job change) or move closer to the labour market. Common barriers it can help to remove include, childcare costs; travel costs, clothing, and essential tools and equipment. For example, a screen reader pen might be purchased to aid a disabled customer’s job search or financial assistance to attend specific job or training related interviews for disabled people and, if necessary, a chaperone. The Flexible Support Fund is locally managed and eligible customers’ needs are considered on a case-by-case basis by Jobcentre Plus Work coaches. Where the existing menu of support offered by Jobcentre Plus does not provide what customers need, and if there is no other non-contracted provision in the area, the Fund can be used to purchase specific training and support for eligible customers. Eligibility for the Flexible Support Fund includes qualifying benefits and Labour Market regimes.

When she plans to introduce a funding scheme for disabled candidates, in the context of Disability Action Plan commitments; and what progress she has made on a funding scheme for disabled candidates.

The Disability Action Plan was an initiative of the previous administration. It is this government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. We have been clear that we will champion disabled people’s rights and work closely with them so that disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of decision-making. On 9 June we announced a new Access to Elected Office Steering Group to support the development of a new fund to help with the disability-related expenses of gaining elected office. Drawing on their lived experience and expertise of disability, accessing funding or standing for elected office, members will work with the Minister for Social Security and Disability to ensure the fund is effective in increasing disability representation in future elections. More information about this work will be shared in due course.

What her planned timeline is for providing a progress update on the implementation of commitments outlined in the Disability Action Plan.

The Disability Action Plan was an initiative of the previous administration.This Government is committed to championing the rights of Deaf and disabled people. We will build on the insights shared by disabled people and their representative organisations, working closely with them so that their views and voices are at the heart of everything we do.We will provide further updates on the Government’s priorities for disability policy in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report published by the University of York entitled The Impact of Chiropractors on Workplace Productivity in NHS MSK Pathways, published on 12 February 2025.

No assessment has been made on the potential implications for policies of the report published by the University of York entitled The Impact of Chiropractors on Workplace Productivity in NHS MSK Pathways.