Speeches by Johnson.

“One of the issues I come across when I talk to employers is about confidence. That is what lots of employers tell me. They do not feel very confident dealing with an employee who is sick or has a disability. That is what I am hoping we are going to get through the Vanguards, that ability for employers of whatever size …”

“Lorraine, do you want to answer that?”

“You are right, there are a lot of large businesses in the Vanguards, but I think the mayoral and combined authorities are working very much with the small businesses in their localities for exactly the reason you have recognised, that if you do lose one person and you are just a group of five working together, that can…”

“As Lorraine says, I think there is confusion for employers what “reasonable adjustments” means, so I take that. I would probably have to speak to my colleague, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, who leads on Access to Work. I am very happy to write to the Committee to respond to your particular question.”

“I think we all recognise that Access to Work is demand led and there has been this huge increase over the last few years. As I was just saying, in the “Pathways to Work” Green Paper it was set out that there was going to be a consultation around Access to Work and how we need to change it. The collaboration committee h…”

“Again, my understanding is that that may be linked to this policy and guidance being applied more consistently across the piece. What I am told is that there is quite a lot of discretion around the way that Access to Work had been applied by individual caseworkers. The idea was to try to provide that consistency. So it…”

“I do not think I can really say. I think it would be better if I wrote to you.”

“I was talking to the Minister for Social Security and Disability yesterday about this, and he said it will be soon.”

“I think they are reasonable criticisms, actually. Some reforms to Disability Confident have already been put in place, which are useful and helpful. One of the things I was struck by was making sure that the voice of disabled people is in there, and I am not sure it is at the moment. One of the aims of the reforms that…”

“I think it is valuable. When I was looking at the figures, 19,000 employers have signed up to this. I think it is good. I recognise exactly what you say, but I think it is something we ought to work on making even better. I do not think it should be scrapped as some people have called for.”

“First of all, it is disabled people and people with health conditions and complex reasons why they are unable to enter the labour market. When I went down to Lewisham to see for myself what was going on, I was privileged to meet a group of people who were part of Connect to Work. It really varied, actually. There was a…”

“You raise an important point. Simon or Angus, do you want to say something about this, because I agree?”

“I am also conscious with the Jobcentre Plus that we want to transform jobcentres. It is not a tick box compliance relationship you have with the customer. It is about that personalised individual employment support. That is what we want work coaches to spend their time on and that is why we are looking at a digital par…”

“I take your point about additional costs on business, but what I also know when I talk to businesses is if they have an employee who they have invested in, who is doing a good job for them, and then for whatever reason they have a health issue, a health problem, and they might have to have time away from the workplace,…”

“This goes through the ICB, and you will know—we all know—that ICBs are going through major changes at the moment. To roll WorkWell out at the moment, when the ICBs are reconfiguring and sorting themselves out, it is about making sure that it is in there now. I was worried that if we waited for the ICBs to be reconfigur…”

“WorkWell is obviously based on information, evidence and analysis that has happened before this scheme. When I went to visit WorkWell in Cambridge at the end of last year, one of the things that struck me there was that they had taken quite a long time to actually get going. We have these 15 pilots, and it seemed to me…”

“You will appreciate that that is not in my gift as the Minister for Employment.”

“You are right that this is very important to me. Safeguarding is about keeping people safe. Someone who comes to a jobcentre may be the victim of domestic abuse, may have been trafficked or is being coerced in some way, and it is important to me that that is picked up and acted on. That is the safeguarding bit, and tha…”

“Yes, and I do as well, absolutely.”

“It is a pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Dr Murrison. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Patrick Hurley) on securing this debate. As he rightly pointed out, employment can often get bound up in numbers, targets and rates. What we all know is that this is fundame…”