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Written Question
Food Banks
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of food banks operating (a) as of 23 January 2024 (b) in 2010.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The latest statistics show that in 2021/22, 7% (4.7m) of all individuals lived in food insecure households. For working age adults this figure was 7% (2.9m), for children it was 12% (1.7m) and for pensioners it was 1% (0.2m).

Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in the operation of foodbanks. We do not have reliable statistics on the number of foodbanks operating.


Written Question
Food Poverty
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people in food poverty.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The latest statistics show that in 2021/22, 7% (4.7m) of all individuals lived in food insecure households. For working age adults this figure was 7% (2.9m), for children it was 12% (1.7m) and for pensioners it was 1% (0.2m).

Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in the operation of foodbanks. We do not have reliable statistics on the number of foodbanks operating.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Disability
Tuesday 13th June 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to increase the availability of assistive technology in jobcentres.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ 185497 on 24 May.


Written Question
Employment Schemes: Disability
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled jobseekers can access specialist support while looking for work.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay, and succeed in work. These include:

  • Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance;
  • Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;
  • The Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;
  • Access to Work grants helping towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;
  • Disability Confident, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face in the workplace;
  • An online information and advice service called “Support with Employee Health and Disability”, providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting health and disability in the workplace;
  • Increasing access to occupational health, including the testing of financial incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed; and
  • Work in partnership between the DWP and health systems, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions.

To tackle rising economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, we announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people and people with health conditions to work. New investment will provide faster access to joined-up work and health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two leading causes of economic inactivity due to long-term sickness.

Jobcentre staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who can provide additional specialist support.


Written Question
Employment: Disability
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the disability employment gap.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

In the recent Health and Disability White Paper, the Government reaffirmed our commitment to close the disability employment gap. To support this ambition, the Government announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people, and people with health conditions, to stay in, and return to, work. New investment broadens access to additional Work Coach support for disabled people and people with health conditions, introduces a new supported employment programme and focuses on providing faster access to joined-up work and health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions.

This new investment builds on our existing package of support to help disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in, work. These include increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres; Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres; the Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, Access to Work grants; Disability Confident; the Information and Advice Service; and work to further join up employment and health systems, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Disability
Wednesday 24th May 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Sense report entitled Research on the employment support available to people with complex disabilities, if he will work with (a) disabled people and (b) disability charities to assess the adequacy of assistive technology in jobcentres.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I would refer to the answer already given at PQ 181920 in relation to the support provided to customers in our Jobcentres.

As part of its commitment to make services accessible to all customers, the Department provides computers for customer use in Jobcentres which have assistive technology built into them and are managed separately from the wider DWP IT estate. The Department also provides a range of peripheral items in each Jobcentre such as alternative keyboards. This provision has funding identified and ring-fenced within the current spending review period.

The DWP have also improved access to our Wi-Fi services in all Jobcentres, allowing customers to use their own personal devices if they prefer.

DWP Work Coaches undergo comprehensive learning to support customers with additional or complex needs, particularly disabilities. As part of their learning DWP provides the Work Coach with an understanding of assisted digital, and how they can effectively coach claimants who find using digital services a challenge.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Disability
Wednesday 24th May 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to provide £5 million of funding to a fund to quip all Jobcentre Plus's with specialist assistive technology.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I would refer to the answer already given at PQ 181920 in relation to the support provided to customers in our Jobcentres.

As part of its commitment to make services accessible to all customers, the Department provides computers for customer use in Jobcentres which have assistive technology built into them and are managed separately from the wider DWP IT estate. The Department also provides a range of peripheral items in each Jobcentre such as alternative keyboards. This provision has funding identified and ring-fenced within the current spending review period.

The DWP have also improved access to our Wi-Fi services in all Jobcentres, allowing customers to use their own personal devices if they prefer.

DWP Work Coaches undergo comprehensive learning to support customers with additional or complex needs, particularly disabilities. As part of their learning DWP provides the Work Coach with an understanding of assisted digital, and how they can effectively coach claimants who find using digital services a challenge.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Disability
Wednesday 24th May 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to take steps to help disabled people to use computers in jobcentres to look for work.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I would refer to the answer already given at PQ 181920 in relation to the support provided to customers in our Jobcentres.

As part of its commitment to make services accessible to all customers, the Department provides computers for customer use in Jobcentres which have assistive technology built into them and are managed separately from the wider DWP IT estate. The Department also provides a range of peripheral items in each Jobcentre such as alternative keyboards. This provision has funding identified and ring-fenced within the current spending review period.

The DWP have also improved access to our Wi-Fi services in all Jobcentres, allowing customers to use their own personal devices if they prefer.

DWP Work Coaches undergo comprehensive learning to support customers with additional or complex needs, particularly disabilities. As part of their learning DWP provides the Work Coach with an understanding of assisted digital, and how they can effectively coach claimants who find using digital services a challenge.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Disability
Monday 22nd May 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who need (a) refreshable braille displays and (b) other additional hardware to use computers can use Jobcentre computers to look for work.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department provides computers for customer use in Jobcentres which have assistive technology such as screen readers and screen magnification built into them. Customers are able to access a wide range of services which can support their needs such as braille and large print documents being made available upon request.


Written Question
Pension Credit
Thursday 27th April 2023

Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of appointing a pensions commissioner on the uptake of pension credit.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

We have no plans to make such an assessment. The Department has undertaken a sustained campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and is committed to eligible pensioners receiving the money they are entitled to.