Emma was one of a cross-party group of MPs who warned against the Government’s plans to stop a specialist programme for supporting people with disabilities into work.
The House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee today (Wednesday 20 October) published its report on Welfare-to-Work, in which it criticised the Government’s plans to consolidate Work Choice – its specialist programme for disabled people – and the Work Programme into a single scheme.
The Committee heard evidence from Work Choice providers like Remploy, who warned that a one-size-fits-all service would make it less likely that people with specialised needs would be supported into work. They also heard warnings that making the programme compulsory could have an impact on some participants’ health, and that voluntary programmes were often more successful in getting people into work.
In its report, the Committee also warned that current Welfare-to-Work schemes were not doing enough to identify people at risk of long-term unemployment, and said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should make greater use of smaller, specialist providers to deliver its services.
The full report can be read here.
Emma said:
“The Government has said it wants to close the disability employment gap, but just six months into their new term they have announced plans to abandon the specialist support programme for disabled people. That isn’t going to help people with disabilities overcome the barriers that keep them from finding a job – quite the opposite.
“We’re also hearing worrying noises from the Work and Pensions Secretary that suggest Employment and Support Allowance is going to be cut, and that’s something that will hurt people with long term conditions. If the Tories continue along these lines then the disability employment gap is going to get wider, not narrower.”