Work and Pensions Committee Publishes Government response on Assistive Technology
September 19, 2018
The Work and Pensions Committee publishes the government response to its report on Assistive Technology. The Government's Response is available in a range of accessible formats.
- Report: Assistive technology: Government response to the Committee’s Tenth Report
- Report: Assistive technology: Government response to the Committee’s Tenth Report (PDF 135kb)
- Inquiry: Assistive Technology
The Committee publishes a welcome and positive Government response to its report on Assistive technology (AT). Before the inquiry concluded, the Government announced a major positive change in dropping the planned cap on Access to Work payments, and has since announced a new Tech Fund that means employers do not have to contribute to the costs of acquiring AT to adapt the workplace - removing a big potential barrier.
The response falls short on the key recommendation of allowing Personal Independence Payments benefits to be used to lease or buy AT - similar to the way it is used to lease cars through Motability - but pledges to consider ways of effecting the recommendation once the National Audit Office has concluded its review of Motability's operations.
Member's comment
Commenting on the response, Alex Burghart MP, Committee Member, said: "Assistive Technology is a silver bullet. It can enable people into jobs they would otherwise not have been able to do - this can be life changing. It's excellent to see the Government taking it seriously."
Further information
Source: UK Parliament