Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance he has issued to employers on disability absence policy for employees with multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement.

The Department provides a pan-disability service and has therefore not issued any specific guidance to employers in respect of multiple sclerosis.

Disability Confident provides guidance to employers to enable them to recruit and support disabled people and those with long term health conditions in work, including people with physical impairments as a result of conditions such as multiple sclerosis. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance to employers on how they can support their disabled employees to stay in work.

We recognise that supportive absence management processes are key to helping people stay in work or return to work after a period of sickness absence. Fit Notes and Statutory Sick Pay are there to support employees to remain in work or return to work. In the recently published ‘Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper’, we are consulting on proposals to reform the Statutory Sick Pay and Fit Note systems so that they better encourage supportive conversations and phased returns to work.