Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many Jobcentre Plus work coaches have received dedicated specialist training in supporting individuals with learning disabilities; and what percentage of the total number of work coaches this figure represents.

The Department is committed to ensuring Jobcentre Plus work coaches are equipped to support disabled customers, including people with learning disabilities. Through the Strategic Relationship Team Learning Disability Project, DWP has developed new learning products to improve understanding of learning disability and support effective service delivery. These have been co-designed with national learning disability organisations, including BASE and Mencap amongst others, and peer reviewed by people with a learning disability.

This specialist learning is currently being rolled out, and we are exploring ways to ensure it becomes embedded within relevant learning pathways. Due to this we do not currently hold uptake data at work coach level and are therefore unable to provide the number of work coaches who have completed this training, or the percentage of the total work coach workforce this represents.