Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent evaluation his Department has made of the adequacy of the Disability Confident scheme’s conversion rate from interview to appointment for disabled applicants across government departments.

The purpose of the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) is to ensure that disabled candidates are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their skills at interview. Of those who applied for a vacancy using the Civil Service Jobs website in the approximately five year period 2019-2024:

• c.13% of applicants applied under the DCS

• c.12% of candidates who were invited to interview had applied under DCS

• c.9% of applicants who were successful at interview had applied under DCS

The Department for Work and Pensions is continuing to explore whether any reforms to the criteria for DCS are needed.