Disability employment gap

Work and Pensions Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 3 Nov 2020 Closed: 2 Feb 2022 Parliament page
The Committee investigated the gap between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people and how the Department for Work and Pensions can better support disabled people in the labour market. We focussed on: Trends in the disability employment gap The economic impact of low employment rates for disabled people … Read more
33 Recommendations
5 Conclusions
1 Report
6 Oral sessions
1 Letter
6 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
22 Nov
2021
Report published
30 Jul
2021
Report published
11 Jun
2021
Correspondence
19 May
2021
Oral evidence
28 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
24 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
10 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
24 Feb
2021
Oral evidence
20 Jan
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
19 May 2021
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Work and Pensions
Angus Gray · Department for Work & Pensions John Paul Marks · Department for Work and Pensions Justin Tomlinson MP · Department for Work and Pensions
28 Apr 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Catherine Hale · Chronic Illness Inclusion Project Daniel Jennings · Epilepsy Action Martin Sigsworth · Pocklington Trust Professor Karen Walker-Bone · National Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work, Versus Arthritis Rob Geaney · Royal National Institute for Deaf People Sarah Rawlings · MS Society
24 Mar 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Angela Matthews · Business Disability Forum Clare Gray · Shaw Trust Huw Davies · British Association for Supported Employment Matthew Ainsworth · Greater Manchester Combined Authority Matthew Oakley · Social Metrics Commission The Lord Shinkwin · The Centre for Social Justice Disability Commission
10 Mar 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Alex Kennedy · Rethink Mental Illness David Stephenson · Mind Dr Jed Boardman · Centre for Mental Health Jane Harris · National Autistic Society Lorenzo Torre · Three Cs Matthew Harrison · The Royal Mencap Society
24 Feb 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Ben Baumberg Geiger · University of Kent Dr Mark Bryan · University of Sheffield Fazilet Hadi · Disability Rights UK Gemma Hope · Leonard Cheshire James Taylor · Scope Professor Melanie Jones · Cardiff Business School Tom Pollard · New Economics Foundation
20 Jan 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Dame Carol Black Joshua Reddaway · National Audit Office
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - Disability employment gap HC 189 30 Jul 2021 38 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Accepted
Second Report - Disability employm…
There is broad support for the premise that the Government should have a target for...
There is broad support for the premise that the Government should have a target for improving disabled people’s employment rates. Views about what that target should be, however, differ. Both absolute and relative targets have drawbacks. Although the overall number … Read more
Government Response
The government describes its existing methods for monitoring disability employment and states its commitment to improving data, but does not commit to adopting a new target that combines both absolute and relative elements as recommended.
Department for Work and Pensions
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9 Conclusion Accepted
Second Report - Disability employm…
There is evidence that localised support, which is often delivered by small, specialist providers, helps...
There is evidence that localised support, which is often delivered by small, specialist providers, helps disabled people get into and stay in work. All too often, however, 72 Disability employment gap disabled people are reliant on large, national programmes, or … Read more
Government Response
The government highlights the work of Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services, supporting thousands of people into employment, and the Health and Care Bill's proposal to create Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) which will address employment at a local level. These initiatives align with the committee's observation on the value of localised support.
Department for Work and Pensions
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32 Recommendation Accepted
Second Report - Disability employm…
There is no clear evidence which explains why disabled people have a considerably raised risk...
There is no clear evidence which explains why disabled people have a considerably raised risk of death from coronavirus. There is a need for further research to investigate the extent to which disabled people’s experiences in the workplace may play … Read more
Government Response
The government states that analysis has already been undertaken by the ONS regarding the association between disability and COVID-19 deaths, and separately, occupational risk, implying no further research is needed as recommended.
Department for Work and Pensions
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34 Recommendation Accepted
Second Report - Disability employm…
DWP must demonstrate that lessons have been learnt from previous schemes and ensure that the...
DWP must demonstrate that lessons have been learnt from previous schemes and ensure that the payment model used in Restart does not disincentivise providers from supporting those who are furthest away from the labour market, including some disabled people. Although … Read more
Government Response
The government explains that the Restart Scheme's existing payment model, which includes a delivery fee, outcome payments, and an accelerator model, is designed to incentivise providers to support all participants, including those furthest from the labour market.
Department for Work and Pensions
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Government Response AI assessment · 38 of 33 classified
Accepted 4
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 5
Deferred 4
Not Addressed 24
Total 33 recs + 5 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
11 Jun 2021 From committee A letter to the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work following up on the Disability employment gap session
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