Pamela Nash is the current Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group HIV/AIDS. From Hansard,

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with HIV have been assessed for employment and support allowance (a) following a new claim and (b) as part of the migration from incapacity benefit. [79880]

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:

(a)Since the introduction of employment and support allowance (ESA) in October 2008 to May 2011 (the latest data available) there have been 1,100 initial assessments completed where the primary condition was recorded as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

(b) Statistics on the number of assessments for ESA as part of the incapacity benefit reassessment process are currently unavailable. Therefore we are unable to provide the information requested.

Due to the overall length of the incapacity benefits reassessment process, information on the entire process including the final outcomes and subsequent destinations of claimants being reassessed is not yet available. Individual level data are being collected, but it will take time to complete because of the overall length of the reassessment process. The Department plans to publish data on the outcomes of the reassessment process but only once it has been quality assured and is considered robust.

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with HIV are in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance. [80030]

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:

21 Nov 2011 : Column 121W

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training on HIV awareness is provided to (a) DWP staff deciding on claims for employment and support allowance, (b) Atos healthcare professionals conducting work capability assessments and (c) Jobcentre Plus staff. [80031]

Chris Grayling: The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) trains its staff in the skills required to support a range of customers and claimants and to respect their individual needs. This approach ensures that our employees are equipped to deal with a diverse set of circumstances while treating everyone as an individual.

The learning programme for Jobcentre Plus focuses on raising awareness of the claimants' personal circumstances and also recognises that disabilities and health conditions can affect individuals in different ways and will change over time.

(a) Employment and support allowance (ESA) staff have intranet access to the Customer Case Management System which provides an overview of medical conditions including HIV and AIDS. Learning for ESA decision makers, also attended by ATOS Health Care Professionals, refers these decision makers to this site to raise their awareness of a number of health conditions. Staff deciding on claims for ESA are also trained to seek help from an ATOS Health Care Professional if they require specific information regarding the effects of a health condition on the individual.

(b) ATOS Healthcare's new entrant training includes a module on HIV and AIDS and there is a learning set on the subject available to all health care professionals as part of ATOS' Continuing Medical Education programme.

(c) All Jobcentre Plus staff receive foundation learning which covers excellent customer service, diversity and customer needs. These deal with the wide range of circumstances that our claimants may have, some less obvious than others, and stress how important it is to look for signs where the claimant does not give us this information directly and to offer appropriate support.

All our front-facing staff are equipped to help the claimant focus on what they can do in the world of work and where necessary, to signpost them to where they can get specialist help to reflect particular conditions. Part of this specialist help can come from our Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive and specialist learning in addition to the detail provided above.

In addition an event called 'Raising the Game', aimed at elevated awareness of disability and perceptions of disabled people, includes information on HIV and AIDS. This is a national event designed for front-facing staff including their managers. All Jobcentre Plus staff have access to information about HIV through guidance on our Intranet.