Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of people living with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition that have received support through the Access to Work scheme.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does collect information on Access to Work recipient's primary medical condition, however we do not hold information to the level required to identify people with arthritis and/or musculoskeletal conditions. Therefore we are not able to make an estimate of the number of people living with arthritis and/or a musculoskeletal condition that have received support through the Access to Work scheme. Information on Access to Work volumes and expenditure by primary medical condition are published annually in the official statistics: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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 improve awareness of the Access to Work programme.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information about Access to Work (AtW) is widely available in Jobcentres and across government, including a range of online resources. Our stakeholders actively promote the scheme to groups and customers that might benefit from support.

Our new online application and payment portals mean that it is now easier for customers to apply for and claim the support they need.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to increase public awareness of support available to people living with (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government has taken steps to increase public awareness of support available to people living with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as arthritis.

For example, the Musculoskeletal health: applying All Our Health - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) guide is a government resource to help health and care professionals prevent poor MSK health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. NHS England’s NHS England » Musculoskeletal health page also highlights the importance of MSK health and suggests resources for healthcare professionals, patients and carers to use.

In October 2022, government published the MSK Health Toolkit for employers and further education institution, developed in partnership with Business in the Community, which provides practical information for employers of all sizes to address MSK conditions in the workplace for the working age population.

There are multiple risk factors that can heighten an individual’s susceptibility to MSK conditions, including physical inactivity and being underweight, overweight or obese. The ‘Better Health’ campaigns and resources highlights the effects of weight and physical activity and supports people to make and sustain changes to improve their health. The campaign provides free, accessible and evidence-based resources including digital tools, such as NHS Weight Loss, Food Scanner, Couch to 5K and Active 10 apps.

Since announcing the MCS in January 2023, we have been working with a range of stakeholders to identify what would make the most difference in tackling the six major conditions groups, which includes MSK conditions. We expect to publish the MCS in Spring of this year. Government also announced funding for scaling up MSK Physical Activity Hubs and embedding employment advice within MSK pathways as part of £400m of funding in Spring Budget 2023 and we are working with a range of stakeholders on these projects.

Beyond this, World Arthritis Day (WAD), observed annually on 12 October, spreads awareness of the existence and impact of rheumatic and MSK disorders.

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 increase the number of musculoskeletal hubs in local communities.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government announced measures to address economic inactivity, as part of the 2023 Spring Budget. This included £12 m over a period of four years, from April 2024, to scale up Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physical Activity Hubs in the Community.

The MSK Physical Activity Hubs in the Community project will seek to build on local practice and explore how to enable people with MSK conditions to access supportive physical activity interventions within local leisure and community settings. This project will also explore how to build in vocational advice.

We are currently engaging with stakeholders to expand our understanding of existing practice and inform our approach to this project.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that people living with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition are able to remain in work.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government has an ambitious programme of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, to start, stay and succeed in work.

These include: the Work and Health Programme; Access to Work grants; Disability Confident; a digital information service for employers; Disability Employment Advisers and increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.

In the Spring Budget 2023, the government set out a package of measures to tackle the leading health-related causes keeping people out of work, including specific initiatives for people with MSK conditions. This includes introducing employment advisers within MSK services, including to support people with MSK conditions to thrive in work and scaling up MSK physical activity hubs in the Community, building on the example of delivering physical activity interventions in local leisure and community centre venues.

The Government also announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023 to: double the number of places on the Universal Support employment programme; launch WorkWell in approximately 15 pilot areas to provide light touch work and health support; explore new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to support; and establish an expert group to advise on a framework for Occupational Health provision.

In October 2022 we published the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health Toolkit for employers and further education institutions which encourages employers to support adolescents and young adults with MSK conditions. The Musculoskeletal health toolkit for employers was developed in partnership with Business in the Community and provides practical information for employers of all sizes to address MSK conditions in the workplace for the working age population.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of fare discounts for assistants accompanying disabled airline passengers.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government strongly believes that everyone should have equal access to air travel. While there is no legal requirement for airlines to offer free or discounted seats to an accompanying person, it is the CAA's view that it is best practice for airlines to do so where they require a disabled or less mobile passenger to travel with an accompanying person for safety reasons.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require airline staff to wear cameras to help prevent discrimination against disabled airline passengers by staff.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Air travel should be enjoyable and accessible for all, and discrimination against disabled passengers is completely unacceptable.

Government has been clear with the aviation industry that it must provide the best possible service, including ensuring disabled passengers receive the support they require.

UK aviation operates in the private sector, and it would not be for the UK government to mandate use of body worn cameras by airline staff.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the introduction of an airlines accessibility framework.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Civil Aviation Authority, the UK’s specialist aviation regulator, consulted on the introduction of an airline accessibility performance framework, which closed in July 2023. The CAA has been analysing the responses, and will publish its response to that consultation and next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people sit on his Department's accessibility group; and of those, how many identify as disabled.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) currently consists of 10 members including its Chair. Of these, 7 members identify as disabled.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were waiting for a decision on their Access to Work application on 1 March 2024.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As of 1st March 2024, there were 29,871 applications awaiting a decision.

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2024 to Question 17902, how many individual Musculoskeletal Physical Activity Hubs will be created as a result of the £12 million a year allocated as part of the 2023 Spring Budget.

Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The DHSC/DWP Joint Work and Health Directorate is actively exploring opportunities to increase access to, and hence the number of, MSK Physical Activity Hubs in the Community, and enhancing the interventions on offer by embedding vocational support and rehabilitation services. This includes how to maximise access for people with greatest unmet MSK need and people with MSK conditions living in areas of deprivation. We are exploring how to improve referral pathways so where appropriate people with MSK conditions get easier access. This will help inform new models of delivery and our thinking on scale.

We are currently undertaking extensive stakeholder engagement and anticipate publishing our approach over the next few months.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase the financial inclusion of people with a learning disability.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government aims to ensure that all people have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. To promote financial inclusion, the Government works closely with the regulators and stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors.

The FCA’s vulnerability guidance requires firms to identify vulnerable customers, which can include those with a learning disability, and to consider the needs of these customers appropriately.

The Consumer Duty builds on this work by raising the standard expected from firms for all customers with a focus on delivering good outcomes and preventing harm.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to provide financial support for disabled people with the rise in the cost of living.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the most vulnerable. Over the last two years, the government has provided support to help households with the cost of living totalling £96 billion – an average of £3400 per UK household.

Individuals who incur extra cost due to a long-term health conditions or disability may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment, which can be worth over £8,900 per year. This has been complemented in recent years with two £150 Disability Cost of Living Payments, to help the most vulnerable through the period of high inflation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of funding for social care.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government has made available up to £8.6bn in additional funding over this financial year and next to support adult social care and discharge. This includes £500m announced in January which has specifically been made available to support local authorities with the cost of social care in 2024-25 in response to representations from local government stakeholders. This funding will enable local authorities to buy more care packages, help people leave hospital on time, improve workforce recruitment and retention, and reduce waiting times for care.

At Spring Budget, the government announced it is investing £165 million over the next 4 years to significantly expand the capacity of the children’s home estate in England, improving outcomes for looked after children and unlocking productivity savings by reducing local government reliance on emergency provision. The government is also exploring further ways to combat profiteering and bring down costs in the children’s care market. This is in addition to the £200 million the government has already committed in response to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.