Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what Government support is available to disabled candidates at the upcoming local elections given that the Access to Elected Office fund and EnAble fund are no longer active.

It is the Government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. We have been clear that the responsibility for supporting disabled candidates sits with political parties, and they should lead the way in improving diverse representation.

Government will continue to discuss the representation of disabled people in politics with parties and encourage them to put in place their own arrangements to attract and support disabled candidates.