Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted an equality impact assessment for prioritising employed applicants over self-employed applicants within Access to Work.

Access to Work prioritises both employed, and self-employed applicants who are due to start work within the next four weeks or renewing existing grants, to minimise disruption to employment. There are not separate systems for employed and self‑employed applicants and awards are assessed on the number of hours worked for both groups of applicants. Employed applicants are assessed against their set contracted hours, and there is a cap on the number of hours that can be provided. This is different for self-employed customers, as they self-declare their number of working hours. We know that, in general, self-employed people work longer per week than employed people.

We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform, and ensure Access to Work is tailored to the needs of all customers.