Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support his Department has made available in 2016-17 to assist employers supporting disabled people.
Answered by Margot James
The Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Access to Work scheme provides financial awards to disabled people in order to fund additional support above the level of an employer’s statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments. This supports disabled people to retain work or take up new opportunities, but does not replace employers’ duties under the Equality Act 2010.
In addition, Disability Confident supports this Government’s commitment to halve the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people by engaging with employers, who have a crucial role to play in ensuring disabled people are recruited, retained and developed in their careers. The scheme gives employers the opportunity to assess how Disability Confident their business is and sign up at one of three levels. They complete each level before moving on to the next.
DWP is currently trialling a Small Employer Offer, which provides small employers with a personalised package of support, including adaptations and advice and a payment of £500 after three months when they take on new employees who have a health condition or disability.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what provision he has made in his Department's industrial strategy for disabled people.
Answered by Margot James
The industrial strategy green paper, Building our Industrial Strategy, is part of a consultative approach to developing our strategy and seeks views from organisations across the country, including disability organisations. I look forward to further engagement with them, building on engagement with my officials to date.
The Government is clear that the industrial strategy is part of our work to deliver an economy that works for everyone, including disabled people. In particular, the Government’s green paper Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper considers how we can improve employment outcomes for disabled people. Many employers are already creating healthy, inclusive workplaces, but more needs to be done so that employers provide the support needed for employees with disabilities and long-term health conditions, to help them get into and stay in work.
The Improving Lives consultation closes on 17th February, and we will be working to ensure its outcomes are aligned with our industrial strategy.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent meetings and discussions he has had with disability organisations on his Department's industrial strategy.
Answered by Margot James
The industrial strategy green paper, Building our Industrial Strategy, is part of a consultative approach to developing our strategy and seeks views from organisations across the country, including disability organisations. I look forward to further engagement with them, building on engagement with my officials to date.
The Government is clear that the industrial strategy is part of our work to deliver an economy that works for everyone, including disabled people. In particular, the Government’s green paper Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper considers how we can improve employment outcomes for disabled people. Many employers are already creating healthy, inclusive workplaces, but more needs to be done so that employers provide the support needed for employees with disabilities and long-term health conditions, to help them get into and stay in work.
The Improving Lives consultation closes on 17th February, and we will be working to ensure its outcomes are aligned with our industrial strategy.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on making smart meters universally compatible for all energy suppliers.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Interoperability is one of the Government’s key requirements for the main installation stage of smart metering, which is due to commence later this year. The Government has already established common technical standards for the smart metering equipment (SMETS) and put in place the Data and Communications Company (DCC). This is responsible for setting up the nationwide communications infrastructure across Great Britain to send and receive information from any energy supplier to smart meters.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with Ofgem on the roll out of smart meters to homes across the UK.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
DECC ministers and officials engage regularly with Ofgem, both bilaterally and as part of the Programme’s Transitional Governance Model arrangements, in line with our roles set out in the joint DECC/Ofgem open letter to the industry on the implementation of smart metering published in December 2014: