Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to work with external parties and agencies to ensure that blind and partially sighted people are able to meet the rising cost of living.

The Secretary of State for DWP and I remain committed to improving disabled people’s lives and continue to meet colleagues across Government to push this important work forward.

The Government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials. Decisive action is needed to get households and businesses through this winter and the next, while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.

Over the summer, a number of meetings and focus groups have taken place to hear disabled people's experiences, including one which was set up jointly with RNIB. Alongside this, officials continue to engage with stakeholders to build the evidence base on how the cost of living is impacting disabled people. This information will feed into the Government’s considered response.