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Written question asked by Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 29 August 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 September 2025. It was answered by Andrew Western (Labour) on Thursday, 4 September 2025 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Job Centres: Access

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that the correct accessibility equipment is available at all Job Centres.

Answer

As part of its ongoing commitment to service accessibility, the Department provides Customer Computers in all Jobcentres. These devices feature operating systems equipped with integrated assistive technologies—such as screen readers and screen magnifiers—and are managed independently from the broader DWP IT infrastructure.

In addition to accessible software and operating systems, physical peripherals including specialised keyboards, headphones, and tracker-ball mice are available to meet reasonable adjustment needs.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is presently enhancing its customer equipment portfolio. The current range of customer computers will be upgraded to a new operating system that offers improved accessibility and enhanced adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Each device is configured so that the browser and operating system deliver comprehensive support for a wide variety of web accessibility tools, including but not limited to:

  • Screen readers
  • Text-to-speech applications
  • Magnification tools
  • Language translation resources

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
70859
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Access Disability Jobcentres Equipment
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk