AQW 3782/17-22

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 18/03/2020
Answered On Date: 23/06/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities what actions she will take to ensure people with disabilities on work programmes or apprenticeships will be appropriately supported and have guidance provided to ensure they all understand why they may be asked not to attend work or to work from home during the COVID-19 delay phase.

Answer:

My Department is fully committed to supporting people with disabilities and health conditions progress towards, move into and stay in employment. We do this through a number of disability programmes and we are working with all our programme contractors to ensure participants have been provided with all the information they need whilst working or remaining at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department is in daily contact with contractors, by email and telephone, to answer their queries and provide advice on specific situations as and when they arise. The situation continues to monitored to ensure communications remain current and in line with government advice. The Department continues to financially support those contractors delivering our disability programmes during the COVID 19 pandemic.