Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure jobseekers with complex disabilities receive the support and equipment they need to look for work.

We are delivering the biggest employment support package for disabled people and people with health conditions in more than a generation, worth a total of £3.8 billion over this Parliament. We are building towards a guarantee of personalised work, health and skills support to improve returns to work. Once fully rolled out this will include:

• A support conversation that will help identify the best next steps, including a range of personalised and more intensive support

• Specialist one-to-one support – this will build on evidence from recent pilot schemes, which has shown that, for some people, offering regular in-depth personalised appointments with a consistent advisor can help people who are ready to move towards or into work

• More intensive longer-term work, health and skills support for those who are ready – building on evidence from programmes like the Work and Health Programme, Work Choice, Individual Placement and Support for those with severe mental illness or substance dependency, and evidence from successful skills training.

• Periodic engagement for people who are not yet ready for more work-focused engagement. Content and frequency will vary depending on individual need and - if and when ready - we will signpost or refer onto other support.

Further to this, we are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform. The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition, to support workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

The two main types of provision are Assessments and Elements. Assessments seek to understand a person's barriers and how they may be overcome, whilst elements are the types of support to overcome them. These may include specialist equipment, physical adaptations to premises, help with the cost of travelling to work or a support worker. Not all claimants will require an assessment

To be eligible for the Scheme, you must have a physical or mental health condition or disability that means you need support to do your job or get to and from work. You must be 16 or over, be in (or about to start or return to) paid work, and live in England, Scotland or Wales. Customers starting a job within 4 weeks are prioritised. The Scheme also includes the Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) which provides up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment.

In addition, the Flexible Support Fund is a non-recoverable discretionary fund used to support eligible customers to move into employment, increase their earnings whilst in work (through increased hours or job change) or move closer to the labour market. Common barriers it can help to remove include, childcare costs; travel costs, clothing, and essential tools and equipment. For example, a screen reader pen might be purchased to aid a disabled customer’s job search or financial assistance to attend specific job or training related interviews for disabled people and, if necessary, a chaperone.

The Flexible Support Fund is locally managed and eligible customers’ needs are considered on a case-by-case basis by Jobcentre Plus Work coaches. Where the existing menu of support offered by Jobcentre Plus does not provide what customers need, and if there is no other non-contracted provision in the area, the Fund can be used to purchase specific training and support for eligible customers. Eligibility for the Flexible Support Fund includes qualifying benefits and Labour Market regimes.