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Written question asked by Cat Eccles (Labour) on Monday, 8 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 June 2026. It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Monday, 15 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Access to Work Programme: Visual Impairment

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to review the Access to Work scheme to ensure that blind and visually impaired people can access workplace adjustments and specialist support in a timely manner.

Answer

Reforms are essential to ensure a better service for customers, to help disabled people start and stay in work, including blind and visually impaired people. We are reviewing all aspects of the Access to Work scheme, utilising the outcomes of the Green Paper consultation, the Collaboration Committees, and engagement with key internal and external stakeholders to inform its future direction.

We have committed to recruiting and training an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications, to join the 658 staff already working on Access to Work. Recruitment has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence. This is to ensure disabled people, and people with health conditions, including those that are blind and visually impaired, can receive timely support to secure and remain in employment.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
7733
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Standards Visual impairment Access to work programme
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk