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Access to Work Programme: Hearing Impairment

Asked by Lorraine BeaversLabourDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 20 March 2026UIN 120204

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who use Access to Work for the provision of British Sign Language interpretation receive funding for an additional condition to difficulty in hearing.

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms

Although the Department collects information on the medical condition(s) of Access to Work customers and the types of support they are awarded and claim payment for, we are unable to link awarded support elements to specific medical conditions without manually examining individual case notes. It would therefore incur a disproportionate cost to identify what support, if any, customers receiving a ‘BSL Interpreter’ have been awarded in relation to medical conditions other than ‘Difficulty in hearing’.

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