Written questions by Hayes.

What steps she is taking to (a) tackle discrimination against visually impaired people with guide dogs and (b) educate (i) businesses and (ii) public services on the (A) role and (B) importance of guide dogs.

The Equality Act 2010 places a general duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people, including people with assistance dogs, access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act. It has published guidance - ‘Assistance Dogs: a guide for businesses and service providers’ - to help businesses understand what they can do to meet their legal duties to assistance dog owners.Duties and protections under the Equality Act are ultimately enforceable through the courts, and anybody who thinks that they have been discriminated against - including where access to an assistance dog has been refused - can take legal action to seek to resolve the issue. The EHRC will support people who have experienced discrimination through that process. Over the years, Ministers have held discussions with Guide Dogs UK about their ‘Open Doors’ campaign which aims to achieve the fullest possible access for owners of guide dogs and assistance dogs. I fully support that campaign and the principle that Guide Dogs and assistance dogs should always be allowed access, except in the most exceptional circumstances.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting survivors of domestic abuse from repaying advances of Universal Credit payments.

No assessment has been made of exempting survivors of domestic abuse from repaying advances of Universal Credit payments. However, the Government is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.

If she will introduce separate Universal Credit payments by default to help ensure domestic abuse perpetrators cannot gain control over joint household income.

The Department have no plans to introduce separate Universal Credit payments by default. Where domestic violence has been reported split payments can be made.

What steps she is taking to reform the Work Capability Assessment.

The government is committed to reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment, alongside putting in place a proper plan to support disabled people into work. We will say more about this in due course. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to keep the views of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of what we do, as we consider our next steps.

With reference to page 36 of the report entitled Universal Credit Conditionality Changes & the Impact on Single Parent Families, published by Single Parents Rights, in March 2024, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that work coach meetings meet the needs of single parents.

Work Coaches work with all customers, including lead carers to provide tailored advice on a range of opportunities to improve their likelihood of entering or re-entering the labour market, including training for skilled jobs in specific sectors. As previously announced, we are planning fundamental reforms to the employment system to support more people to get into and to get on in work. Proposed reforms include:A new public employment and careers service to help get more people into work and to progress in work.Working with local areas to tackle economic inactivity including the development of joined-up work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, with input from mayors, local councils, the NHS, businesses, colleges and the voluntary sector to address barriers and deliver employment opportunities for local people.A youth guarantee for all people aged 18 to 21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) affordability and (b) availability of childcare on the ability of single parents to look for (i) work and (ii) increased hours.

I am pleased to announce on 7 October we published Universal Credit childcare costs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Childcare choices for parents working atypical hours - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) , which provides some insight into the question. Parents claiming Universal Credit can be reimbursed up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month and we provide financial support with upfront childcare costs when parents move into paid work or increase their working hours. They are also able to access the early education entitlements, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for each offer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 30-hour work requirements introduced in October 2023 on the standard of living of single parents.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the 30-hour work requirements, introduced in October 2023, on the standard of living of single parents. However, we promised concrete actions in our manifesto to support children and families which is why we announced our ministerial taskforce on the 17th July, jointly chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, to begin work on an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy. The Taskforce will publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025 and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

What training work coaches receive on domestic abuse; and how often.

All Work Coaches new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support vulnerable customers and complex needs as part of their induction and onboarding. This includes completion of 30-minutes of self-paced learning on domestic abuse. The Work Coach learning journey includes an additional 90-minutes of facilitated learning on domestic abuse. The aim of this learning is to explain what support we can offer to a victim, or survivor, of domestic abuse. After completing their facilitated learning Work Coaches have access to self-paced learning to enable them to continue to build their knowledge and understanding in their day-to-day role.