Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable disabled people the right to request flexible working. [5596]

Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, employers have a duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure that disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.

Reasonable adjustments can include adjustments to working patterns, number of hours worked, or any other of the employer’s working arrangements to avoid the disabled person being put at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.

Because of this, there are no plans to specifically extend the right to request flexible working to disabled people. However, the Government have committed to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. I will consult on plans to achieve this later in the year.