Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with Centrepoint on supporting young people with special needs or disabilities who are looking for work.

Ministers are committed to engaging with stakeholders like Centrepoint. The Minister for Welfare Delivery has met with Centrepoint a number of times over the last 12 months. His conversations with them tend to be wide-ranging and include topics such as support for disadvantaged young people who are in work, claiming benefits or looking for work.

The Government will be bringing forward a Green Paper on health and disability support, which will focus on how the welfare system can better meet the needs of people with disabilities and health conditions. The Green Paper will be strongly influenced by the views of disabled people and representatives from disability organisations, drawing on the significant engagement we have conducted, which will continue over the Autumn

The National Strategy for Disabled People is a key manifesto commitment for this Government and its delivery remains important for ministers, including No. 10. Its significance is even greater as we re-build the UK's economy and society in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We want to achieve practical changes for disabled people, which remove barriers and increase opportunity. We are engaging widely with stakeholders and will ensure disabled people can directly share their views and insights on their key challenges. We plan to publish this high ambition strategy in Spring 2021.