Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
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 parity of treatment for people with physical and mental health issues when applying for benefits.
Answered by Damian Hinds
DWP is totally committed to delivering good quality services that are accessible to all customers. We offer services through face to face, telephone and a range of digital channels, ensuring that the needs of all customer groups are considered. All DWP digital services meet Government accessibility standards and have assisted digital plans in place to support customers that need help to apply for benefits online. A Ministerial Taskforce of disability organisations meets several times a year to advise and support DWP in making customer information and contact more accessible and understandable. We have recently amended the “how to claim” pages for all benefits on GOV.UK, to make it clearer how disabled customers can request information in alternative formats. DWP is also trialling Video Relay Service and Next Generation Text Services for Deaf and hard of hearing customers so they receive as good a service from telephony agents as non-disabled customers. Specialist services are available for relevant groups and training is given to colleagues to identify and support customers with mental health conditions and learning difficulties.