Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide an emergency support package to protect (a) disabled people’s health and finances and (b) disabled children and their families during the covid-19 pandemic.

Like others, individuals with disabilities will benefit from the substantial level of financial support provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes an injection of £7bn into the welfare system, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS has been extended until the end of April 2021. It is up to the employer to make the best decision for their organisation and their employees about whether to furlough staff. Standard discrimination law applies; an employer cannot decide who should be furloughed based on any protected characteristic.

However, if people with a protected characteristic disproportionately request furlough, it can be acceptable under the law for the use of furlough to be disproportionately higher in that group. Employers are encouraged to consult on the process with employees.

The Government also recognises the challenges presented by COVID-19 for all those who are living with a disability and are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable. Individuals who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable may have access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Clinically Extremely Vulnerable individuals also have priority access to vaccination against COVID-19 before the general population and in line with the priority ordering set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The Government’s support package during the current pandemic sits alongside a substantial set of existing welfare support for individuals with disabilities. The Government will spend over £55 billion in 2020/21 on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. The Government has implemented a range of measures to make access to disability benefits easier and to protect existing claimants during the current situation. This includes temporarily suspending face to face assessments.