Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's 2017 Green Paper entitled Improving Lives, what research she has commissioned on potential new policies to support disabled people in employment; and when the conclusions of that research are planned for publication.

A range of research and evaluations have been commissioned to explore the commitments made in Improving Lives. This includes:

• Investigating the acceptability of different healthcare professionals issuing fit notes amongst different audiences
• Understanding the provision of occupational health and work-related musculoskeletal services
• Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies: Evaluation
• Self-employment for people with disabilities and health conditions
• Private providers of occupational health services
• Employers’ motivations and practices: A study of the use of Occupational Health Services
• Sickness absence and health in the workplace: understanding employer behaviour and practice
• Innovation and knowledge development amongst providers of occupational health
• International comparison of occupational health systems and provisions
• Group Work/JOBS II: Process Evaluation
• Group Work/JOBS II: Cost Benefit Analysis
• Health-led Employment Trial Evaluation
• The work aspirations and support needs of claimants in the ESA Support Group and Universal Credit equivalent

The following reports have been published on gov.uk:

• Exploring perceptions and attitudes towards the extension of fit note certification (August 2020)
• Understanding the provision of occupational health and work-related musculoskeletal services (May 2020)
• Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies: process evaluation report (July 2019)
• The work aspirations and support needs of claimants in the ESA Support Group and Universal Credit equivalent (February 2020)
• Sickness absence and health in the workplace: employer behaviour and practice. An interim summary report (June 2019)
• Self-employment for people with disabilities and health conditions (May 2019)
• Private providers of occupational health services: interim report (April 2019)
• Employers’ motivations and practices: A study of the use of Occupational Health Services (April 2019)

Publication dates are not confirmed for the remainder of commissioned projects.