Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to support employment projects for disabled people through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

We recognise the barriers some disabled people face to employment, and my department provides a range of support including the Work and Health programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support.

The Chancellor announced at the November 2020 Spending Review that one portion the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will target places most in need across the UK, whilst a second portion of the Fund will target people most in need through bespoke employment and skills programmes for those who face labour market barriers. Final decisions regarding the design of the Fund will be published later this year.

The UK Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later in 2021, which will outline the priorities of the fund, and confirm multi-year funding profiles at the next Spending Review.