Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of inflammatory bowel disease and its effects with employers.

The Government wants all disabled people and people with a long term health condition, including those with inflammatory bowel syndrome, to have the opportunity to work and share in the economic and health benefits that work brings.

Government supports employers to help them recruit and retain people with health conditions and disabilities through the Disability Confident campaign, Fit for Work and the Access to Work scheme.

We published ‘Improving Lives the Work: Health and Disability Green Paper’ in October, and we are analysing the responses to understand how employers can be further supported to establish good practices and supportive workplace cultures, and how they can support more people with disabilities and health conditions to stay in or return to work.