Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) promote and (b) fund local welfare assistance.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. Local authorities are best placed to decide how to promote and target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.
The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2015-16 identifies a notional amount relating to local welfare provision in each upper-tier and unitary authority’s general grant, totalling £129.6 million for England. The notional allocation for local welfare provision remains at £129.6 million in England in the Local Government Financial Settlement until 2019/20. There are no plans to ring-fence this notional allocation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will allocate additional funding for local welfare assistance.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. Local authorities are best placed to decide how to promote and target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.
The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2015-16 identifies a notional amount relating to local welfare provision in each upper-tier and unitary authority’s general grant, totalling £129.6 million for England. The notional allocation for local welfare provision remains at £129.6 million in England in the Local Government Financial Settlement until 2019/20. There are no plans to ring-fence this notional allocation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote neuroinclusion in the workplace.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
We are committed to improving employment outcomes and inclusion for disabled people and people with health conditions, including those who are neuro-divergent. For example:
Through the Disability Confident scheme, DWP is engaging with employers, offering online guidance and helping to promote the skills, talents and abilities of people with autism and associated hidden impairment conditions.
A Disability Confident Toolkit has been developed to provide comprehensive information on autism and other hidden impairments, as well as guidance on employment and local authority services. This Toolkit has been promoted to all Government departments.
Research published last year suggests Disability Confident has had a significant impact on disability employment practices. Almost half of employers interviewed said they had recruited at least one person with a disability, long-term health or mental health condition as a result of joining the scheme. This went up to nearly two thirds among larger employers.
Access to Work offers eligible individuals practical advice and a discretionary grant of up to £59,200 per year to fund support above the level of an employer’s statutory obligation to make reasonable adjustments. Access to Work staff have a specialist knowledge of disabilities and health conditions, including neuro-divergent conditions, which enables them to offer customers tailored packages of support.
DWP is working with the Supported Business Alliance (SBA) and The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) to develop a new long term element of Access to Work, to support people working for a supported business, many of whom are neuro-divergent.
DWP is also working in partnership with Department of Health and Social Care to publish a consultation on how employers can best support disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, including those who are neuro-divergent, to stay and thrive in work.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what illnesses are considered terminal under Special Rules for Terminal Illness.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Special Rules for Terminal Illness apply across a range of benefits. Terminal illness is defined in legislation as applying to someone who “is suffering from a progressive disease and death in consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within 6 months.” The Department applies the Special Rules, regardless of what health condition a person has, in line with this definition.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people access disability benefits through Special Rules for Terminal Illness by each terminal illness.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The latest available data on disability benefit awards made under Special Rules for Terminal Illness and Normal Rules can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ .
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
Special Rules data can be broken down by main disabling condition for Personal Independence Payment including Dementia, however data on the main disabling condition for other disability benefit claims made under Special Rules is not held by the Department.
Normal Rules data can be broken down by main disabling condition for all disability benefits, including Dementia.
Terminal illness is defined in Social Security legislation as: 'a progressive disease where death as a consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within 6 months'. If a patient is suffering from such an illness they can claim certain benefits under what are termed as 'special rules'.”
The DS1500 sets out the patient’s condition, clinical findings, treatment, date of diagnosis and date of form completion. It is a medical factual report and it is usually valid for 3 years.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with dementia have accessed disability benefits through Special Rules for Terminal Illness.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The latest available data on disability benefit awards made under Special Rules for Terminal Illness and Normal Rules can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ .
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
Special Rules data can be broken down by main disabling condition for Personal Independence Payment including Dementia, however data on the main disabling condition for other disability benefit claims made under Special Rules is not held by the Department.
Normal Rules data can be broken down by main disabling condition for all disability benefits, including Dementia.
Terminal illness is defined in Social Security legislation as: 'a progressive disease where death as a consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within 6 months'. If a patient is suffering from such an illness they can claim certain benefits under what are termed as 'special rules'.”
The DS1500 sets out the patient’s condition, clinical findings, treatment, date of diagnosis and date of form completion. It is a medical factual report and it is usually valid for 3 years.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with dementia have accessed disability benefits without going through Special Rules for Terminal Illness.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The latest available data on disability benefit awards made under Special Rules for Terminal Illness and Normal Rules can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ .
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
Special Rules data can be broken down by main disabling condition for Personal Independence Payment including Dementia, however data on the main disabling condition for other disability benefit claims made under Special Rules is not held by the Department.
Normal Rules data can be broken down by main disabling condition for all disability benefits, including Dementia.
Terminal illness is defined in Social Security legislation as: 'a progressive disease where death as a consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within 6 months'. If a patient is suffering from such an illness they can claim certain benefits under what are termed as 'special rules'.”
The DS1500 sets out the patient’s condition, clinical findings, treatment, date of diagnosis and date of form completion. It is a medical factual report and it is usually valid for 3 years.