SCoD Bulletin December 2016

Scottish Council on Deafness Bulletin | Bi-Monthly Magazine for SCoD Members

SCoD “Connect & Capitalise*” Conference

The third SCoD Conference, ‘Connect & Capitalise’ will take place on Thursday 9th March 2017 in Glasgow Doubletree Hilton.

We can announce that Martyn Evans from the Carnegie UK Trust - http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/ - has agreed to speak at our Conference.

Watch out for further information about the programme and speakers in the next bulletin.

* This year’s conference title “Connect and Capitalise” means that we are building on the connections and partnerships that have been made over the last three years and at our last two conferences. We all benefit or capitalise on these connections as we grow the Deaf Sector. _________________________________________________________

LATEST NEWS FROM SCoD

Hello Colleagues!

Restructuring

Many of you will know, recently we went through a restructuring process. Unfortunately, Kellas McRobert no longer works for SCoD as the Office Manager’s post was made redundant. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Kellas all the best in whatever she decides to do next.

SCoD Training

Human Rights training delivered by Carole Ewart will be one of the first courses in SCoD’s new training programme for 2017. There will be more information later in the month both on the SCoD website and in our Christmas bulletin.

Membership

With more members, we can have more winners…Our members are drawn from the Public, Third and Private Sectors. We have organisational and individual options.

We have three categories of membership: Full members. These are the organisations that make up the National Council

and can put forward nominations to the SCoD Board. Associate members - organisations who cannot be full members or do not

want the responsibility of full membership. Associate members – individuals are people who are deaf or have an interest

in deafness and want to support our organisation.

If you want to know more about joining SCoD and being part of the Deaf Sector, please contact our membership worker, Kirsty, at kirsty@scod.org.uk or telephone 0141 248 2474.

If you are a BSL user, you can use contactSCOTLAND to contact us.

Articles for our BulletinsIf you are sending us your news, training and event information, please email it to admin@scod.org.uk. This email address is checked every day unlike the SCoD staff team’s personal email addresses which are not checked if someone if on leave. By sending the information to our admin address, your information will be included in the next bulletin and there will be no delay in inclusion. Thank you.

Janis & the SCoD Team

GENERAL NEWS

DSP / BSL NAG Update

The Scottish Government and members of the Deaf Sector Partnership are starting to look at what the first BSL National Plan consultation will look like.

This will be a bilingual consultation and there will be a number of ways for people whose first or preferred language is BSL to respond as well as the routine ways that Scottish Government puts in place from all consultations. It is hoped that the consultation will take place in spring 2017 to leave enough time for the Scottish Government, the BSL National Advisory Group and the Minister can negotiate any changes to the National Plan and have it ready to publish by mid-October next year.

If you have any questions about the BSL NAG or the DSP, please get in touch with Derek Todd, DSP Coordinator by email at admin@deafsectorpartnership.net.

Scottish Union of Supported Employment

Local MP Tommy Sheppard support…

We are delighted to announce that our local MP Tommy Sheppard is supporting us in the launch our brand new 'Peer Support for Work' Facebook Group to coincide with the 'United Nations International Day of People with Disabilities'. Celebrated every year, the 'United Nations International Day of People with Disabilities' attracts an international audience.  A wide range of events are held across the work to mark the occasion.  Each year has a different theme and the focus in 2016 is 'Achieving Goals for the Future We Want'

"A peer support network for those with a disability seeking work would be a welcome addition to the current supports available.  By being able to access this online as well as face to face will enable those with a range of needs to benefit in a way that most suits them.  Being able to share concerns and positive experiences about their journey into employment could prove invaluable" 

http://www.susescotland.co.uk/news/peer-support-for-work-facebook-group/

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Winter newsletter for Disabled People living in Midlothian

Please click here for “Preparing for Winter 2016” – a newsletter for Disabled People living in Midlothian.

This newsletter is produced by Forward Mid as a supportive communication particularly for Disabled People across Midlothian and professionals supporting Disabled People.It’s produced with an ethos of providing clear, up to date, useful information, tips and contact information for Disabled citizens, and as a very practical and  useful resource, encouraging people to think about what might help make Winter a safe, healthy  and enjoyable season!

Included in this newsletter is up to date information on... Preparing for Winter Emergency Kit Keeping Midlothian moving Warm home discount scheme Health Advice Over Winter Get your home ready for winter Key Contact Phone numbers Keeping affordably warm My Winter Plan Driving through ice and snow

http://www.forwardmid.org.uk/newsletters2016_december.html

Continuing to be me: Recovering a life with a diagnosis of dementia

Dr Rachel Perkins OBE co-authored the recently published ImROC Briefing Paper 'continuing to be me: Recovering a Life with a Diagnosis of Dementia'.

Ideas about recovery have largely developed in relation to younger adults: older people, especially those with progressive conditions have remained largely ignored. However, over the last decade, things have been slowly changing. In 2007 Bob Woods wrote a brief article arguing that, while it is important that “decades of knowledge and experience that have accumulated in services for older people are not lost in a new wave of ‘age-blind’ service commissioning … recovery is one concept that would be well worth applying in older people’s services”.

To read the briefing paper, go to the website and to read the full report, go to this website

ImROC strive for systems, services and cultures to support Recovery and wellbeing for all locally, nationally and internationally.

EVENTS

The Scottish Sensory Awards 2017 Wednesday 15 February 2017Stirling Management Centre

Following the great success of the 2016 Scottish Sensory Awards, we are delighted to confirm that the Scottish Council on Deafness (SCoD), and the Scottish Council on Visual Impairment (SCOVI), as the umbrella organisations for hearing and sight loss in Scotland, have taken on the responsibility for the organisation of the 2017 awards.

Nominations are now opened: click here for Nomination Form

Closing Date: Tuesday 10 January 2017 Email: scottishsensoryawards@gmail.com

For more information click here: www.sensoryawardscotland.co.uk

Signed Burns Supper28 January 2017

The National Deaf Children’s Society is hosting a signed Burns Supper on the 28 th of January 2017, 7pm till late at the Blythswood Hotel in Glasgow. To watch the promotional video – go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lENl5wq7UNM&feature=youtu.be

You can also find the information on the NDCS, Scotland Facebook page: Click here.

Hope you can come along to our Burns supper night and bring a few friends along.

CONSULTATIONS

Scottish Government Consultation on the New National Health and Social Care StandardsClosing date – 22nd January 2017.

For more information, go to our website

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UK Government Consultation:

The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper

The deadline for responding to the consultation is Friday 17 February 2017.

The government has launched a consultation on its newly published green paper ‘Work, health and disability: improving lives’.

The green paper – which aims to achieve ‘a more personalised and integrated health and welfare system’ – proposes:

a review of statutory sick pay and GP fit notes to support workers back into their jobs faster, and for longer;

encouraging Jobcentre Plus work coaches to signpost claimants to therapy; reform of the work capability assessment with a view to ending the binary ‘can

work / can’t work’ groups; a new Personal Support Package;

encouraging employers to work with their employees with long-term health conditions to stop them from falling out of work; and

a wide-ranging debate about recognising the value of work as a health outcome

To read the green paper, click here or go to the Scottish Government Website for more information about the consultation and for information in Easy Read, go to the website: Click here

The BSL version of the consultation is available here

SCoD will be putting in a response. If you are a member of SCoD and would like your comments included in our response, please email Mandy at mandy@scod.org.uk before Wednesday 1st February 2016.

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NHS Scotland Chief Executive’s Annual Report 2015/16

Paul Gray, Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General Health and Social Care, presents his Chief Executive’s Annual Report. He outlines the achievements made during 2015/16, and describes the challenging context in which NHS Scotland continues to operate.

In his foreword, Paul pays tribute to the outstanding commitment of all NHS Scotland staff, and to the dedication of colleagues in our partner organisations – including those in the voluntary and third sector.

The report charts progress towards our 2020 Vision for Health and Social Care and presents achievements in the three areas often referred to as the ‘Triple Aim’: improving the quality of the care we provide; improving the health of the population; and securing the value and financial sustainability of the health and care services we provide. Our Quality Ambitions for person-centred, safe and effective care have continued to guide our work in improving quality, transforming care and delivering improved performance.

To read the report, go to http://www.nhsscotannualreport.scot/

TRAINING

Awareness BitesOnline Deaf Awareness & Communication Tactics eLearning facility

Aimed at: Front line staff in ‘ALL’ sectors who deliver a public facing service. This can be in the public sector, industry and commerce or further and higher education - indeed, anywhere that communication takes place between a service provider and a member of the public.

It is also very useful for the workplace where deaf people are employed.What’s included?

The Green package is aimed at those who are responsible for/or come across deaf or deafblind people occasionally in their everyday duties/service provision.

The Green package will take up to 2 hours to complete - easily completed in a one-off learning session. Cost: Was £16.50 now £15 per user licence

The Purple package is aimed at those who come across deaf or deafblind people often or routinely in their everyday duties/service provision.

The Purple package will take between 2.5 and 3.5 hours to complete depending on the exercises taken. Cost: Was £32 now £28 per user licence

You can login and logout as you wish – start off where you left Short online assessment is optional (certificate of CPD provided)

Sample course content can be viewed here: Visit here or contact info@awarenessbites.com

AWARENESS bites is brought by COMMTACS learning & development – spanning over 30 years of experience.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Voluntary Action Fund is launching a £16,000 Competition Fund to enable schools, parent councils, charities and community groups to run arts activities on the theme of “What my *mother means to me…” Each successful applicant can nominate their 2 favourite pieces to be judged at events in March with 6 prizes available.

Organisations, working in Scotland with children aged 10 – 11yrs, can apply for up to £400 to cover activity costs e.g. tutors, sessional workers, art materials, equipment or transport.  Children may choose to work individually, in pairs or small groups to produce their chosen art.  They can choose to: write a 500 word essay, write a poem, make a short film, use photography or produce a piece of artwork.

Applications for funding should be submitted by Monday 16 January 2017.

Please see the attached flyer or visit our website for further information about the fund and how to apply.

VACANCIES

Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Community Partners

Apply to be a Community Partner and help shape the support for disabled people in your area

The Department for Work and Pensions is recruiting Community Partners to work in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and the third sector. As a Community Partner, you will:

• have experience and/or expert knowledge of disability• enhance the delivery of services to meet the needs and aspirations

of disabled people and those with a health condition• bring specialist knowledge to enhance understanding of disability• support the development of a national network• build local relationships with specialist organisations

More information on how to apply for Lead Community Partner fixed-term appointment roles: Click here More information on how to apply for Lead Community Partner secondment roles: Click hereApplications for these roles will remain open until 16 December 2016.

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CINEMA/THEATRE

Subtitled/Captioned Accessible Cinema!2,000+ shows nationwide!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - 500+ subtitled shows:http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/rogueone.html

Moana, Sully, Edge Of Seventeen, Bleed for This, Fantastic Beasts, A United Kingdom, Allied, Bad Santa 2, Paterson, Arrival, Doctor Strange, A Street Cat Named Bob, Trolls & more:http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/films.html

Entertain AND Educate! Cheap subtitled kids’ shows: Pete's Dragon, Finding Dory, The Secret Life Of Pets and more:http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/kids.html

All cinemas can show all the films listed above with English-language subtitles. Please ask your nearest cinemas to provide accessible shows for people with hearing loss! Shows added as announced. Check the website or app regularly for full subtitled listings: Locations, dates, times & trailers.IMPORTANT! Shows sometimes change. Double check with the ACTUAL cinema or cinemas website before you plan a visit.

To make it easier to find what’s subtitled in cinemas near you, let us know the cinemas/areas you’d like listed and we’ll create a personal page, just for you! Bookmark it on your computer or phone and view it every Fri to see what’s on near you. Just email:subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com

Download the app! Automatically find all subtitled shows nearby. Apple & Android:http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/appdownload.html

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS, MOTIONS AND DEBATES

Edinburgh Waverley Station (Access Arrangements)Motion S5M-02131, in the name of Miles Briggs, on Edinburgh Waverley station access arrangements.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament is aware of the ongoing concerns of residents in Lothian and visitors using the drop-off and pick-up arrangements at Edinburgh Waverley railway station; notes that previous taxi ranks within the station were removed in 2014 when vehicles were banned from the station, which means passengers have to leave the station to get a taxi, or be dropped off, on neighbouring streets; is aware of the

particular concerns of older, disabled or blind travellers who may find it difficult and inconvenient to get to and from the station; is further aware that the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee investigated this matter in 2015 and suggested that it was “essential that suitably located, accessible taxi facilities are available at Waverley”; welcomes the work of the Edinburgh Access Panel and other stakeholders in seeking to persuade the ScotRail Alliance to improve the current arrangements, and notes the continuing calls for a suitably located, accessible taxi rank and drop-off and pick-up point to be reintroduced at Edinburgh Waverley station without further delay in the interests of all travellers using this key transport hub.

Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con):

Thank you, Presiding Officer, for the time that was given to allow my constituents to join us in the public gallery.

I thank colleagues from across the chamber who supported my motion. I also thank the thousands of constituents across Edinburgh and Lothian and beyond who signed my petition, either off or online. Both those actions demonstrate the real public interest and anger surrounding the topic.

I welcome to the public gallery a number of my constituents who have been campaigning on the issue, including Dennis and Pat Wilson, Ian McInnes and Moira Vaughan of the Edinburgh access panel, which has done such a huge amount of work, as well as representatives of the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance.

All of us can agree that blind, disabled, infirm and elderly residents should have the same access to transport services as anyone else in Scotland. However, I am sad to say that, since the taxi ranks were removed from Waverley station in 2014, many of those people feel that they have become second-class citizens when it comes to accessing the station.

Blind and disabled people who were used to some of the best drop-off and pick-up arrangements in the country feel that they have been badly let down and that their independence has been totally undermined. Disabled constituents tell me that navigating their way around Waverley station and trying to find the lifts and the escalators can be extremely difficult and frustrating and, in some cases, dangerous, as the escalators pose a particular challenge for guide dogs.

I am sorry to say that some disabled constituents have told me that they have decided to avoid Waverley station altogether as they do not want to have to rely on assistance from others. In many cases, it has only been because of the kindness of fellow Edinburgh residents and the city’s fantastic taxi drivers that they have been able to access the station and get on to train services at all.

Handicabs (Lothian) can be used by disabled travellers—Edinburgh users have told me that the services that it provides are excellent—but its services have to be booked two weeks in advance, which removes the option for more spontaneous travel. Perhaps after the week that the Minister for Transport and the Islands has had, he would prefer to know the movements of everyone in Scotland two weeks in advance, but—this is the question that I put to the minister today—why should the disabled, blind, and elderly residents that I represent across Lothian have to plan their travel arrangement two weeks in advance?

The Handicabs service for drop-offs faces being made less accessible if the drop-off point is moved to Calton Road when the south ramp space is utilised for platform extensions.

Disabled visitors to the capital are usually unaware of the Handicabs service. Many tourists coming to Edinburgh for the very first time have faced standing outside in all weathers on neighbouring streets waiting for taxis, often having struggled outside to Market Street or Princes Street with heavy luggage. Some visitors have had to queue for long periods, especially during the festival, which hardly creates a good impression of our capital city.

I remain very concerned that the decision to remove the taxi ranks in 2014 was implemented before adequate alternative arrangements had been put in place. That is deeply regrettable. Back in the summer of 2015, a parliamentary committee looked into the issue and called for action on better access provisions, but we are still waiting for those to be delivered.

Last week, I met Network Rail representatives and Waverley station management at the station and they briefed me on their plans, which were confirmed in the press on Monday, for a new taxi rank at the New Street car park. That is welcome news as far as it goes, but it will offer only a limited improvement for able-bodied travellers, as it is just a taxi pick-up rank and not a place where passengers can be dropped off within the footprint of the station. It will also be considerably further away from the central parts of the station compared with previous ranks, so there will still be real challenges for blind, disabled and infirm travellers, who will need to use a number of lifts or staircases to get to their platforms and the station’s central concourse.

Therefore, I will continue to press rail bosses to look at additional and improved drop-off and pick-up arrangements and to work with the Edinburgh access panel and other stakeholders to achieve that. Specifically, I hope that a north ramp option for taxis will be reconsidered, as other ways of getting deliveries into the station can be found, thus freeing up that area. I urge Network Rail to explore all possibilities around that.

Responsibility for ensuring equality of access to transport services ultimately lies with the Scottish Government and the Minister for Transport and the Islands. There are questions to be answered as to why it has taken more than two years—since the taxi

ranks were removed—to come up with the limited proposals for a pick-up rank at New Street, which will not be in place until towards the end of next year. The Scottish Government should have been doing far more to ensure that Waverley station is made truly accessible for all travellers. It is, after all, a strategic national transport hub, a gateway to Scotland and one of the busiest stations in the country.

When the minister recently launched Scotland’s first accessible travel framework, he said fine words, stating:

“It’s important for us to confirm the commitment to making it easier for those with a disability to travel.”

I agree. I know from the meetings that I have had with the minister that he genuinely wants to see progress on the issues. I call on him to put those words into action at Waverley station and press Network Rail to make further improvements that will make the station’s drop-off and pick-up arrangements truly fit for purpose and genuinely accessible for all travellers, including blind, disabled and elderly residents.

To read the full debate, go to http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10644 ___________________________________________________________________

Children with Additional Support Needs

S5T-00232 Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish children’s services coalition warning that Scotland faces a “lost generation” of children with additional support needs.

The Minister for Childcare and Early Years (Mark McDonald): The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. Since the act was passed, it has been amended—in 2009 and again last year—to ensure that children’s rights sit at the heart of the legislation, the framework and the approach that is taken.

The act and other actions that have been taken by the Government and partner agencies—including education authorities, which in 2015 increased their spending on additional support needs by £24 million—are helping to provide better outcomes for children and young people with additional support needs. Achievement and attainment continue to improve. In 2015, 86.2 per cent of pupils with additional support needs had a positive destination, compared with 82.3 per cent in 2011-12, and 60.7 per cent of 2014-15 school leavers with additional support needs had one or more qualifications at Scottish credit and qualifications framework level 5 or better, which is an increase of 11.2 percentage points since 2011-12.

It is clear that we need to do more and stay focused on ensuring that children and young people are supported to fulfil their potential.

Monica Lennon: I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am a local councillor in South Lanarkshire Council.

Official figures for 2015 show that 22.5 per cent of pupils were recorded as having additional support needs. That is an increase of 16 per cent since 2013. Meanwhile, the number of learning support teachers fell by 13 per cent between 2010 and 2015—that is a decrease of 427. The number of support staff in schools, such as additional support needs auxiliaries and behaviour support staff, dropped by more than 9 per cent between 2010 and 2015. That is a reduction of just over 1,800. Will the minister act to protect the most vulnerable pupils by ruling out cuts to local authority budgets?

Mark McDonald: It is worth reflecting on what is captured by the figures on additional support needs that Monica Lennon cited. They capture pupils with any requirement for additional support throughout a school year. An identified additional support need does not necessarily exist throughout that year—for example, a family bereavement could require the provision of additional support to a pupil. A change was made to the statistics that were collected, and that is perhaps reflected in some of the figures that were captured by Monica Lennon.

It is worth noting that about 95 per cent of children are educated in mainstream settings, where support is provided through classroom support—the number of classroom assistants has increased—and through teacher professional development to enable teachers to better understand and support the needs of children with additional support needs.

Monica Lennon: The figures that I read out are concerning, and it is not just me who is concerned. The Scottish children’s services coalition, alongside local authorities, has written to the Scottish Government to say that the cuts are affecting vulnerable children and families.

We read today, in a new report from the Accounts Commission, that local authorities face a predicted funding gap of £553 million by 2018-19. Scottish Labour would use the new powers to the Parliament to invest in vital services. The minister has not ruled out further cuts today, but will he think again and listen to the Scottish children’s services coalition and parents across Scotland, and then seriously address the need to increase resources for services for children and young people with additional support needs?

Mark McDonald:

I repeat, as I said in my initial answer to Monica Lennon, that in 2015, which is the last year for which we have audited figures, the spend on additional support needs increased by £24 million.

I have read the Scottish children’s services coalition’s press release, which makes it clear that the genesis of its concern is in Philip Hammond’s autumn statement. That is the reality in which we operate in fiscal terms. The press release states that we need to look at greater public sector reform and collaboration, which is an agenda that we should all be signed up to. It follows clearly in the spirit of the Christie commission, and I will be more than happy to discuss that with the coalition in response to the letter that it has sent to the Scottish Government.

Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con): I recently visited Seamab school in Perthshire, which cares for and educates vulnerable children with complex needs who are aged between five and 13. One member of staff informed me that one of the children who attends the school had 17 care placements before they arrived at the school. Another member of staff told me that another child was about to be removed from the school because the local authority was no longer willing to pay the necessary amount to the school.

Does the minister agree that any child who is placed with 17 sets of foster parents or any child who is removed from a school because of a financial measure has been failed by us all? Will he write today to each local authority to confirm the Government’s position that each child’s needs should be met according to those needs and not any other consideration?

Mark McDonald: The principle that lies behind GIRFEC is of course getting it right for every child. Jeremy Balfour’s points tie in succinctly to the points that were raised in last week’s debate on adoption and permanence, and I am sure that his points will also feed into the work that is being undertaken in the care review in relation to children who find themselves moving from place to place rather than achieving early permanence, which would lead to better outcomes for them.

I take on board the points that Jeremy Balfour made. They would perhaps be better addressed as part of the wider review, and I am sure that he and other members will take the opportunity to feed into that review their views on how best to take the work forward.

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10657

Early day motion 695: Disabled Students Allowance Scheme

Date tabled: 17/11/2016Primary sponsor: Danny Kinahan

That this House notes the importance of the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) scheme for disabled people in Higher Education and the beneficial effect it has on recipients' academic achievements; acknowledges that DSA is associated with improved degree qualifications that result in significantly increased earnings; condemns the Government's reform of DSA, including the introduction of a £200 levy on disabled students who are recommended a computer as part of the essential technology to allow them to study independently and successfully; and accepts that since the introduction of this student contribution, there has been a significant decrease in the number of students taking up the equipment that has been recommended for them despite an increase in the number of assessments.

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2016-17/695 _________________________________________________________________________

Under-occupancy Charge

Urgent Question Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make a statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling of 9 November on the under-occupancy charge.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Damian Green)

The removal of the spare room subsidy was introduced in April 2013 to all working-age claimants in the social rented sector as part of this Government’s plan to create a welfare system that is fair for those who use it and those who pay for it. Under the previous system, the taxpayer had to subsidise benefit claimants to live in houses that were larger than they needed, despite the fact that people renting in the private sector were receiving housing benefit on the basis of the number of people in their household rather than the number of bedrooms that they had, which has been the case since 1996. Since we introduced the policy, it has saved over £1.5 billion, and the number of households affected by it is going down.We, of course, operate a number of exemptions to the policy, and they include: all pensioners; households with a dependent child receiving the middle or higher rate care component of disability living allowance; households in which an overnight carer is allowed for the claimant or partner; households in which the claimant or partner is a foster carer; and households with an adult child who is in the armed forces and deployed on operations. In addition, we provide local authorities with funding to provide discretionary housing payments to claimants whom they evaluate as needing additional support with housing costs.Turning to last week’s Supreme Court judgment, it was welcome that the Court found in our favour in five of the seven cases. These cases related to a panic room, a claimant with mental health issues and those requiring an extra room to house

medical equipment, as well as cases involving shared care and adapted properties. The Court also agreed with our view that discretionary housing payments are generally an appropriate and lawful way to provide assistance to those who need extra help. In the two cases in which the Court did not find in our favour, we will take steps to ensure that we comply with the judgment. In most cases, local authorities are best placed to understand the needs of their residents, which is why we will have provided them with more than £1 billion to offer that support by the end of this Parliament. This ensures that people in difficult situations and those who are vulnerable do not lose out.

Debbie AbrahamsThe Supreme Court’s judgment on Wednesday clearly stated that the bedroom tax is discriminatory, as Labour Members have repeatedly highlighted. The Court upheld the claim of Jacqueline Carmichael, who is disabled and cannot share a room with her husband, Jayson; as well as that of Paul and Susan Rutherford, who care for their severely disabled grandson, Warren. I pay tribute to them, as well as to the other families, for their courage, tenacity and determination in pursuing these cases.

The ruling states that housing benefit regulations allowing claimants to have an additional bedroom when children cannot share a bedroom because of a disability should be extended to adults. Likewise, adults who need an extra room for an overnight carer have been exempt from the bedroom tax, but children such as Warren have not. Those anomalies, the judges ruled, were “manifestly without reason”.The Department’s spokesperson indicated that the Government accept the Supreme Court’s ruling. Will the Secretary of State confirm whether his Department also unequivocally does so? Will he tell the House how much taxpayers’ money has been spent on legal fees in the attempt to defend the Government’s bedroom tax policy? How many families does the Department calculate have been affected by the Government’s unlawful imposition of the bedroom tax on disabled people and their carers? When and how will the Government inform the families affected by the judgment? How quickly will the Government comply with the Supreme Court’s judgment and revoke the bedroom tax for those families? Will such a revocation be backdated and, if so, to when? Will the Government now formally apologise for the pain and suffering inflicted on disabled people and families caring for a disabled child? Finally, will the Government undertake to look again at their policy on safe rooms for victims of domestic violence, which affects a relatively small number of incredibly vulnerable women who live their lives in fear and are being punished by the Government for heeding security advice and being safe in their homes?

Damian GreenI am happy to repeat what I said in my statement. We of course accept the Court’s view and, to answer some of the hon. Lady’s subsequent questions, we will take the appropriate action as soon as we practicably can. She said that the removal of the spare room subsidy was unlawful, but it patently is not, because the Supreme Court found in the Government’s favour in five of the seven cases before it. It is interesting

that those involved in every one of those cases—all seven—were receiving discretionary housing payments, which are the best way to ensure that those who are affected can be helped if they need it.Discretionary housing payments are up fivefold since 2011-12 and the Government are committed to a further £870 million over the next five years—[Interruption.] I am surprised that the hon. Lady complains about the payments, because her local authority received the best part of half a million pounds for discretionary housing payments this year, which makes it clear that people in her area find them useful. She might also be interested to know that 63% of those who are affected and unemployed have decided to look for work, which shows one of the policy’s effects.I hope that the hon. Lady will address the basic issue of fairness. Without these measures, neighbouring households could be treated differently, which many people would regard as unfair.On the hon. Lady’s point about those receiving disability benefits, all seven cases involved people receiving discretionary housing payments. Four of the five people involved in the cases won by the Government have a disability, so the policy is clearly not unlawful. Her basic analysis is wrong. The Government are spending £50 billion a year on disability benefit, which shows that we want a practical system that cares for people with a disability. This court case does not alter that at all.

Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon) (Con)I remind the Secretary of State that the real anger is not from Opposition Members, but from the 241,000 families in overcrowded accommodation who are desperate to access family homes. It is those families, not Opposition Members, to whom the Secretary of State should be listening.

Damian GreenMy hon. Friend, who knows a huge amount about this subject, is absolutely right. The Government are indeed taking steps to try to alleviate housing problems, but he is quite right about the indignation among Opposition Members.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)Last week’s Supreme Court ruling is a damning indictment of the Government’s willingness to make disabled people and their families bear the brunt of austerity cuts. The ruling follows hard on the heels of a report by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was also published in recent days. Among other conclusions, the report notes that the Government’s measures

“have caused financial hardship to persons with disabilities resulting in...arrears, debts, evictions and cuts to essentials”.

I am sorry that it is necessary to remind the Secretary of State today that, according to the Government’s own impact assessment, around two thirds of the households affected by the bedroom tax include a disabled adult. In Scotland, the proportion is a massive 80%, and I am proud that the Scottish Government have taken action to protect all affected families. Will the Government recognise that the bedroom tax has failed in its objectives and continues to harm disabled people? Will they finally call time on this destructive, discriminatory experiment?

Damian GreenI do not agree with the hon. Lady about that, and nor does the Supreme Court. As I said, it had seven cases before it, and five of them were found in favour of the Government, so she is wrong to say that the policy has been in any way found unlawful. She will have seen my response to the UN report, which I thought was out of date. It took completely the wrong approach by measuring the effectiveness of a policy towards disabled people purely according to the amount of benefit spend, because this is about the amount of practical help that people can get. The fact that 300,000 more disabled people have gone into work in recent years shows the success of the Government’s policies in helping disabled people. I hope that Opposition Members will also welcome the recent Green Paper, which will provide more practical help for disabled people.https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-14/debates/D5D5E72C-3772-46E6-8A4F-15A8F8EBA19A/Under-OccupancyCharge

Employment and Support Allowance/Universal Credit

907161 Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP): If she will postpone proposed reductions to employment and support allowance and universal credit; and what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on those reductions.

The Prime MinisterThe Government are committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society, including disabled people and those with health conditions, and people currently receiving employment and support allowance will continue to receive the same level of financial support. We are ensuring that the support is concentrated on those most in need, and that it is available not just through benefits, but as part of a wider package to help those who could get into the workplace reach the point where they can get into the workplace.

Neil GrayThis week, the Prime Minister said:

“Change is in the air. And when people demand change, it is the job of politicians to respond”,

so how does she respond to the 70 disability organisations that want these cuts stopped, or indeed to Conservative Members who have supported my cross-party motion calling for these cuts to be halted, which will be debated tomorrow? Surely she must respond accordingly.

The Prime MinisterAs I have said, we are focusing support on those most in need. For those in the support group for ESA, support has gone up, and we are giving extra support to help those in the work-related group who could at some stage get into the workplace to do so. It is important that we do not view this solely as an issue of benefits; it is about

the whole package that is available, which includes the personal independence payments that provide for the living costs of disability. Let me gently remind the hon. Gentleman that if he is concerned about the levels of payment in Scotland, he might wish to talk to the Scottish Government about the new powers that they have, whether they intend to use them and how they would fund them.https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-16/debates/A9D4C09E-BC91-4012-BD58-5377572F6A21/OralAnswersToQuestions

Universal Credit The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Damian Green)

Across Great Britain we now have a solid foundation of universal credit delivery in every jobcentre and local authority. Over 400,000 claimants are receiving the new benefit and are being supported to build better futures for themselves.

Alongside this we are continuing our successful rollout of the universal credit full service for all new claimants. On 20 July 2016 I announced our rollout plans through to completion of the programme, including the jobcentres receiving the new service through to March 2017.

Today, I can announce the schedule for the remainder of the jobcentres through to completion of the rollout in September 2018. At this stage the vast majority of people will no longer be able to make a claim to income-based jobseeker’s allowance and employment and support allowance, income support, housing benefit or tax credits.

Details of the sites are in the table and they will be published later today on the www.gov.uk website.

Publication of these plans meets the Department’s commitment to give local authorities six months’ notice of implementation plans in their areas. The Department will make further announcements early in December on local authority funding for housing benefit support.

My Department will bring forward the relevant legislation for these sites in due course.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-16/debates/16111648000015/UniversalCredit

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Damian Green)

One of the Government’s key commitments is to protect the most vulnerable. Supported housing supports hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people

across the country. A safe, stable and supportive place to live can be key to improving people’s lives, and for many it is a stepping stone to independent living in the longer term. The Government value the role supported housing plays and are committed to protecting and boosting the supply of supported housing and ensuring it provides value for money and works for those who use it as well as those who pay for it.

On 15 September I announced how from 2019-20 we will be introducing a new funding model for Supported Housing. This will ensure that the sector continues to be funded at the same level it would have otherwise been in 2019-20, taking into account the effect of the Government policy on social sector rents. From 2019-20, core rent and service charges will continue to be funded through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit up to the level of the applicable local housing allowance rate. For costs above the level of the local housing allowance rate, Government will devolve an amount of funding for disbursement locally. In England, we will devolve funding to local authorities to provide additional “top-up funding” to providers where necessary, reflecting the higher average costs of offering supported housing, compared to general needs. An equivalent amount will be provided to the devolved administrations and it will be for them to decide how best to allocate the funding. Until 2019-20 the application of the local housing allowance rate to supported housing will be deferred. This measure confirms the Government will continue to provide support for those who require supported housing and ensures providers can have the confidence they need to invest in new development

I set out in my statement of 15 September 2016 my intention to consult on the implementation of this new funding model and committed to publishing a consultation. Today, along with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, we are publishing a consultation document to develop the detail that will underpin the new funding model. We are also publishing the evidence review of supported accommodation in Great Britain, jointly commissioned by my Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government at the end of 2014. The review has provided a helpful insight into the scale, scope and cost of the sector.

Furthermore, I am able to announce today a simplification and alignment of the application of the local housing allowance policy for general needs accommodation, in light of the changes that have been made to supported housing. We propose to bring in the policy for general needs accommodation in the social rented sector in 2019, instead of 2018 as previously announced, to align with the changes to supported housing.

For Housing Benefit it will apply, as announced at autumn statement 2015, to tenants who have signed new or re-let tenancies from 1 April 2016 and their social sector rent is higher than the local housing allowance rate. Those on Housing Benefit who took their tenancy before April 2016 will not be affected.

For Universal Credit, to ensure simplicity and a streamlined process, local housing allowance rates will apply to all new and existing tenants, again only where their social rent is higher than the relevant local housing allowance rate.

People moved by the Department from Housing Benefit to Universal Credit after April 2019 whose overall benefit entitlement is lower will be protected, in cash terms, under transitional protection arrangements. On reaching state pension age Universal Credit claimants flowing back on to Housing Benefit with tenancies signed before April 2016 will also be protected.

Additional discretionary housing payments were made available at autumn statement 2015 to protect the vulnerable and help people make the transition to the new rules.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-21/debates/1611215000008/HousingBenefitAndUniversalCredit __________________________________________________________________

Disabled People: Recruitment and Retention Next

907333 David Mackintosh (Northampton South) (Con)What steps the Government are taking to ensure that employers are supported in recruiting and retaining disabled people.

907345 Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon) (Con)What steps the Government are taking to ensure that employers are supported in recruiting and retaining disabled people.

907348 Sir David Amess (Southend West) (Con)What steps the Government are taking to ensure that employers are supported in recruiting and retaining disabled people.

The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Penny Mordaunt)We already support employers through the new Disability Confident scheme, Access to Work and the Fit for Work service. Other measures are planned. The Green Paper consultation will provide further insight into how we can support employers and their disabled employees.

David MackintoshWhat advice can my hon. Friend offer to people such as my constituent Jehanzaib Sabih, who is deaf, so struggles to speak on the telephone, worked hard to obtain a university degree and yet is really struggling to find employment in the financial sector?

Penny MordauntA lot of our bespoke expertise lies in the partner organisations we work with. If my hon. Friend contacts Sarah Holtham, who is the work coach at the Northampton jobcentre, she will facilitate a meeting with Deafconnect for him and his constituent. It

also does a huge amount of work getting placements in the financial services sector, in particular with Nationwide, whose headquarters are in his constituency.

Justin TomlinsonFollowing numerous successful Disability Confident events, we launched the small employer offer directly to engage, encourage and signpost new employers to take advantage of this often overlooked wealth of talent. Will the Minister update the House on the progress of this vital pilot?

Penny MordauntAs part of the small employer offer, we will introduce over 100 employment advisers to small employers, and the feedback we have had is that that is very welcome—in particular, for organisations that do not have their own human resources departments.

Sir David AmessRecalling the very happy days when my hon. Friend was training for her diving competition in Southend, will she join me in congratulating Southend Adult Community College and Poundland on leading the way in employing disabled people in Southend?

Penny MordauntI am familiar not only with the diving boards at Southend but with that excellent college, which has done many things well, including understanding that the built environment has a huge, positive role to play in ensuring that people with profound and multiple physical and learning disabilities can achieve their full potential.

Ian C. Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)Very many individuals who previously received disability living allowance and who now receive personal independence payments are prevented from travelling to work—their Motability vehicles are being taken away because they do not qualify for the higher rate mobility component. This is a serious issue for people who are working, want to work and for whom the Government are making things more difficult. What is the Minister going to do about it?

Penny MordauntI would point out that more people now have access to Motability than before, but I understand the problems that the hon. Gentleman raises, and we are looking at this in the Department.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)May I put on record congratulations to Andy Murray on his magnificent achievement and also congratulate his brother, Jamie Murray, who will end the year as doubles world No. 1? What Scotland lacks in football prowess, we more than make up for in tennis, and we are immensely proud of both Murray brothers.

Last week, Members on both sides of the House made it clear to Ministers that cutting employment and support allowance for those who are in the work-related activity group by nearly £30 a week, with corresponding cuts to universal credit, is not acceptable when the Government are still consulting on their Green Paper on closing the disability employment gap and do not have adequate support in place. Has the Minister discussed the outcome of last week’s debate with the Chancellor ahead of the autumn statement and impressed on him the need to postpone these punitive cuts?

Penny MordauntI point out to the hon. Lady that the support that needs to be in place for those members of WRAG will be in place, and I gave the detail of exactly when that would be in place—before new claims come online—but I must stress that, as well as enabling people to endure and cope with such situations and the associated costs of living, we have an obligation to help them to get out of those situations. I have given assurances to the House that we will do both.

Dr WhitefordThe loss of the limited capability for work element of universal credit will mean that thousands of working disabled people will be about £1,500 a year worse off. Does the Minister think that slashing the incomes of working disabled people sends the right message about the Government’s commitment to those who are just about managing?

Penny MordauntWe are spending more money on disability benefits, and we are doing more in terms of support, so I do not recognise the position that the hon. Lady outlines.

907354 Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate) (Con)The evidence is clear that work can be good for people’s health and particularly their mental health. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government should be working with GPs and healthcare professionals to support people with mental health issues to stay in work or to get back into work as soon as possible after leaving employment?

Penny MordauntYes, I do, which is why we have brought forward a Green Paper, and we will be consulting on it until February. In the meantime, where we can make progress and foster the local connections and relationships between employment support and healthcare professionals and others those individuals will need support from, we will do so, and the flexible support fund, which goes live in December, will do that.

Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab)On behalf of Labour, I offer my congratulations to Andy Murray.

The prospect of a further £1,500-a-year cut in support to sick and disabled people found not fit for work, on top of the previous £28 billion of cuts, fills many with dread.

Why is the Secretary of State touting the propaganda that the cut will incentivise disabled people to find work, when his Department’s own research says the opposite? Will he listen to MPs on both sides of the House who unanimously rejected his policy last Thursday, and stop the cut in the autumn statement?

Penny MordauntAs I pointed out at length, we will mitigate the financial cut to the WRAG group through several measures, including the flexible support fund, which will help with costs related directly to work, and through other measures to help with costs not directly related to getting into work. I have stated to the hon. Lady several times in the last week that we have to do both those things. We need to ensure someone’s liquidity and financial resilience, but we must also ensure that they have other kinds of support. We will not pause that support when it commences in April.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-21/debates/ADB9A1EF-E1DC-44B8-9180-2539CDAACA28/DisabledPeopleRecruitmentAndRetention

___________________________________________________________________

Personal Independence Payments

907344 Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)What steps his Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment assessments are undertaken fairly and appropriately.

The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Penny Mordaunt)Our policy is designed by service-user panels, provision is strictly monitored and measured by independent audit, and the provider is held to account through our contract with it.

Jeff SmithCitizens Advice and the mental health charity Mind told the Public Accounts Committee in March that private contractor assessors were comprehensively failing claimants with mental health issues, so what progress has been made since in the recruitment of registered mental health nurses by healthcare assessment providers to ensure that claimants with mental health issues get the support they need?

Penny MordauntSince then we have introduced a number of new measures, including improved training and additional recruitment. We are also monitoring to ensure those doing assessments are referring to mental health services if they feel that that is required.

Scott Mann (North Cornwall) (Con)Fourteen-year old Olivia in North Cornwall is the primary carer for her mother, who has multiple sclerosis. PIP assessments create uncertainty for Olivia; no one else in her household is able to work or to care for her mother. Will my hon. Friend applaud young carers such as Olivia? In the light of the DWP’s proposed end to

reassessment for people with long-term illnesses, will she consider extending this to people who rely on children to care for them until such time as those children have finished further education?

Penny MordauntI certainly pay tribute to Olivia and the thousands like her who do a physically and emotionally demanding job for their loved ones. We recognise the principle. We have made changes to ESA reassessments and the Green Paper affords us the opportunity to look at how that principle could be applied to PIP. It might be to my hon. Friend’s constituent’s advantage to have further PIP assessments because her needs might increase, but there is an opportunity to have a much more streamlined process, which I hope the Green Paper will deliver.

Helen Jones (Warrington North) (Lab)Does the Minister not realise how wildly wrong some of these assessments can be? I had a constituent with cerebral palsy who was told that he would get no mobility component with his personal independence payment, meaning that he risked losing his car and therefore his ability to work. Are any financial sanctions imposed on the contractor for getting such assessments so wildly wrong and hence threatening people’s jobs?

Penny MordauntI think the hon. Lady’s question related to PIP. We have also introduced other ways in which we can measure a contractor’s performance, including the use of clinical data. Whether in relation to PIP or to ESA, we need to ensure that the evidence needed to make these judgments is submitted early in the process. We are doing some work to ensure that that happens, and it is improving things considerably.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-11-21/debates/94AE323E-48A7-4AFF-894C-AD9BE2636008/PersonalIndependencePayments

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