National Disability Strategy
Question asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made with
implementing their National Disability Strategy.
(Con)
My Lords, good progress is being made. Of more than 100
commitments across government, over 25 have already been
delivered in just six months. Among them, the DfE invested over
£8 million in 2021-22 on children and young people with complex
needs, improving outcomes for these disabled children. The DWP is
piloting an adjustment passport supporting disabled people’s
transition to employment, and BEIS has launched an online advice
hub offering accessible information and advice on employment
rights for disabled people. But we understand there is more to
do.
(Con)
Disabled people in the UK today face an education attainment gap,
an employment gap, a pay gap, a public appointments gap, a
suboptimal disabled students’ allowance scheme, inaccessible
accommodation and inaccessible transport. Will my noble friend
agree three things? First, there is no shortage of issues in
urgent need of being addressed, as the strategy rightly sets out.
Secondly, this will require unflinching commitment from Ministers
and officials across Whitehall. Thirdly, there is an urgent need
to get on with it.
(Con)
My noble friend is absolutely right: there is no shortage of
issues. I have mentioned some that are being changed and some
that are on their way to changing, but there are a lot more that
need to change and many more that are not in the strategy and
need to be covered. As the Prime Minister said when he launched
the strategy, this is just a “down payment”—this is just the
beginning—but we are committed. We are making strides, going
forward and delivering.
(Lab)
My Lords, last week the Work and Pensions Committee took the
highly unusual step of publishing a 2020 research report
commissioned by the DWP but, in effect, suppressed by it and
ignored by last year’s disability Green Paper. What does the
Minister think is the policy implication of that report’s finding
that disabled people, totally reliant on benefits, are often
unable to meet basic needs, such as food, rent and heating?
(Con)
I am sorry; I have not read that report. The DWP takes a lot of
interest in all these reports and it is important that we look at
the issues for disabled people, at all times. But we are spending
a record £59 billion on benefits this year to support disabled
people and people with long-term health conditions. That is 2.5%
of GDP. There is another £421 million in the household support
fund, so we are putting money into this and supporting disabled
people, wherever and whenever we can.
(CB)
Does the Minister agree that a country’s civilisation is measured
by the care and compassion it gives its disabled and vulnerable
citizens—a role all too often left to charities with inadequate
resources? Charities such as Action for ME work with inadequate
resources to improve the lives of those with this debilitating
condition. Will the Government conduct a full review of current
ME provision, with a view to establishing a national strategy for
ME in the UK?
(Con)
I agree with the noble Lord that charities do a lot in this
country, but when the Government work with charities and others
in the third sector, we can do more. I will certainly take the
question on ME provision to colleagues in the Department of
Health to discuss this. I do not know whether they are willing to
do a review, but I will ask them to get in touch with the noble
Lord.
(Con)
My Lords, it is the turn of the Lib Dems. The noble Baroness,
Lady Thomas of Winchester, wants to speak virtually.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, disabled people look forward to being consulted
properly on the National Disability Strategy; in particular, on
more accessible housing for rent, fair benefit assessments and
reliable social care. Does the Minister agree and please will she
give us timescales?
(Con)
My Lords, across government, we are talking continually to
stakeholders and charities for disabled people, nationally and
locally. There is a commitment across government to continue to
do that. On housing, DLUHC—as it is now called—has committed that
10% of the 180,000 homes being built in the affordable homes
programme will be for supported housing and I think this is
extremely important. We are doing all we can. We know that
consulting everybody who needs a voice is difficult, but we will
continue to do that across government.
(Con)
My Lords, I ask my noble friend how pupils with special
educational needs are being supported.
(Con)
I thank my noble friend for her question. It is important that we
continue to support children with special educational needs,
because, if they get the right education, they can go on to
living fulfilling lives. The DfE has put a further £2.6 billion
over the next three years into delivering new places and
improving existing provision for young people with special
educational needs. The DfE is also contributing £9.3 million in
the next financial year to train educational psychologists—very
important in this field. High-needs funding for children and
young people with complex needs is increasing by £1 billion to
£9.1 billion in the next financial year.
The Lord
My Lords, last year, the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report
focused on health in coastal communities, noting higher levels of
deprivation and disability in these locations. What will the
Government do to tackle the levels of multiple need and
disability in these communities?
(Con)
My Lords, I cannot say specifically, but I will certainly write
with the answer. Across the whole of this country, there are
areas where disability is more of an issue than in others. That
is why we have this cross-government strategy, and why we will
deliver on it.
(Con)
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Masham of Ilton, wishes to
speak virtually, and I think this is a good time to call her.
(CB) [V]
My Lords, is the Minister aware that some people with a
disability just need a little personal help and assistance to get
up and to go to bed, so that, once up, they can reach their full
potential? Can the Government make it easier for this help to be
forthcoming?
(Con)
I thank the noble Baroness for that question. I know that on a
very personal level because I have an adult daughter who is
disabled and needs exactly that kind of care. I think it is
important that we look to how we can do that better, if that is
what disabled people in consultations say is necessary. I will
take that back to the department.
(Lab)
My Lords, will the Government commit to increase the funding for
research into conditions such as ME, which has already been
referred to, so that children and adults across the UK can
receive the right care and support that they so urgently and
desperately need?
(Con)
I think that, working with the charitable sector, exactly as I
said to the noble Lord previously, that is something we should
do. I will take that back to my noble friend in the Department of
Health.
(LD)
My Lords, we have heard a great deal from the Minister—and we are
all glad to—about money spent on initiatives. What are the
Government going to do to bring them together as a coherent
whole? At the moment, we suffer from a multitude of schemes and
good intentions that do not co-ordinate. A coherent whole is the
primary thrust of any successful strategy here.
(Con)
My Lords, that is exactly what this strategy is all about. That
is why, across Government, we have ministerial disability
champions meeting quarterly with the Minister for Disabled
People, in order to have a co-ordinated strategy for this country
to improve the lives of disabled people.
