§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will make it his policy that people with a mental illness will not be required to attend a ONE interview, if they do not wish to, for a period of three months following discharge from a psychiatric hospital; [113291]
(2) how many people with a mental illness have attended for a voluntary ONE interview across the pilot sites in England; [113292]
(3) if ONE personal advisers will visit places of work to check their suitability for clients with a mental illness prior to placement; [113293]
(4) if the training of personal advisers and start-up personnel involved in the ONE project has involved directly people with a mental illness; and if he will make a statement; [113294]
(5) if clients will have the choice of an interview at home with ONE personal advisers. [113295]
§ Ms JowellONE puts work, and helping people to overcome barriers to work, at the heart of the benefit system. Everyone of working age making a claim to benefit meets with a Personal Adviser, who works with them to assess their job potential and provides access to a variety of help and information on work, benefit and services. Clients are treated as individuals with their own unique needs, abilities and circumstances, instead of being categorised as "unemployed", "lone parent" or "disabled".
It is entirely reasonable to expect all clients to come in for meetings with a personal adviser as a part of their claim so they can stay in touch with the labour market and be informed about the help and support on offer. We want to treat people as individuals, not to categorise people and make assumptions about whether or not they can work.
The requirements of ONE should be appropriate for all, including people with a mental illness. In developing the policy and the detailed processes, officials have had in-depth discussions with some of the key organisations dealing in mental illness (including MIND and the 792W National Schizophrenia Fellowship) to ensure that ONE enables the groups they represent to participate in a positive way.
All ONE advisers have been trained to work effectively and sensitively with all ONE clients. Those with experience of, or expertise in, mental illness have participated in the training process. Advisers have guidance on working with clients with special needs which has been developed with their help.
Where it is appropriate for people to attend interviews, the ONE process is designed to give them sufficient time to make arrangements and sufficient opportunities to attend. Clients can bring an advocate with them to interview if they wish, and home visits can be offered where appropriate. Personal advisers also have the discretion to waive or defer an interview.
Personal advisers may consult with a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) and the DEA may accompany the personal adviser on the home visit. If a client has recently stayed in a psychiatric hospital, advisers should certainly consider carefully whether to defer an interview—but should not automatically assume that to be so. For some people the priority may be to sort out the benefits they are entitled to and to ensure their welfare needs are properly identified. Where ONE advisers place clients into work, we have no present plans for personal advisers to visit places of work prior to placement.
Finally, it is not possible to provide the information requested on participation in ONE by people with mental illnesses. Separate statistics on the numbers of people with mental health illness attending ONE meetings are not recorded.