MPs condemn disability work programmes
Government programmes to get disabled people back to work are failing to reach those who would benefit most, a new parliamentary report has warned.
More than £300 million is spent each year on support schemes that reach only about 160,000 people – far from the one million who say they want to return to employment, MPs on the public accounts committee say.
This is despite the government’s pledge to get one million of the 2.7 million people currently claiming incapacity benefit back into work.
Tough new measures to achieve this goal are currently being debated in parliament in the form of the welfare reform bill, and could see claimants deprived of their benefits if they fail to take up the chance for new training or help.
Kate Green, chief executive of anti-poverty campaigners CPAG, said: “The committee’s concerns that the quality of service provision is patchy should lead the government to reconsider their view that new benefit sanctions are needed for unemployed disabled people.
“The priority should be high quality services for all who need specialist support, not cutting benefits.”
Today’s committee report notes there are currently six different programmes to help disabled people find work, arguing they must be more streamlined to ensure more people can benefit.
It also raises concerns that just one of these programmes focuses on helping disabled people keep their jobs, and recommends that disability employment advisors spend a set amount of time on retention.
“Most people who are disabled became so as adults and were probably in employment at the time. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should put much more effort than it has so far into helping them, wherever possible, keep their jobs,” said committee chairman Edward Leigh.
He called for greater accountability of the funds spent on these disability work programmes, saying current data was “patchy and unreliable”, leading to inconsistent service provision across the country.
In addition, the MPs warn that misconceptions among employers about taking on disabled workers are still making it difficult for many people to find jobs, and calls on the DWP to challenge these.
Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said: “Little progress can be made until someone with a history of mental health problems feels comfortable declaring it on their CV without the fear of immediate rejection.
“This will require a large and sustained investment in anti-stigma work, without which the money sunk into the DWP’s initiatives will yield limited returns for people with mental health problems.”
