Minister’s comments add fuel to Access to Work concerns

Comments by the disability minister have fuelled concerns that the government is planning changes that will cut the amount of workplace support disabled people can receive through the Access to Work scheme.

There have been months of concerns about the future of the scheme, since Sir Stephen Timms (pictured), the minister for social security and disability, told MPs in February that it was “unlikely to be sustainable in the long term” and needed to be “better and more effective”.

The government’s Pathways to Work green paper, released in March, strongly suggested that ministers wanted to cut future spending on the scheme, which is set to increase from £142 million in 2019-20 to £385 million this year.

And in May, leaked information from multiple sources suggested DWP was planning two waves of cost-cutting that would make it harder for disabled people to secure AtW support.

Now Sir Stephen has told the BBC’s Access All podcast that ministers will have to work out “how we can use that funding to support a larger number of people, given that so many people now are coming forward”.

That suggests that, although overall AtW spending might not be cut, the department could be planning to restrict individual packages of support.

Sir Stephen also said that employers have “an existing well understood obligation” to provide reasonable adjustments for their staff, which again suggests that ministers are considering asking employers to contribute more towards workplace adjustments.

Pushed further by Access All’s Emma Tracey, who suggested that many disabled people – such as artist Jess Thom – were having their support cut, or even removed altogether, he said: “I think there are constraints in what Access to Work can provide; maybe sometime previously they haven’t always been applied.

“Perhaps they are now being applied.”

Last month, DWP published research which found that providing extra AtW funding to disabled people with higher support needs had a positive impact on both employees and employers.

DWP declined to say this week if Sir Stephen’s comments suggested average ATW support payments would fall; if existing claimants were having their support cut, with managers toughening their stance on applying existing rules; and if his comments suggested future real-terms cuts to the scheme.

But a DWP spokesperson said: “No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any future changes prior to them being implemented.

“Despite deploying additional staff and streamlining our procedures, the number of Access to Work applications waiting to be processed is continuing to grow.

“That’s why we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve it for the benefit of disabled people and employers.

“We will be reviewing all aspects of the scheme now that the consultation has closed [on 30 June] and will be developing future policy in collaboration with disabled people.”

DWP said it was continuing to work closely on its AtW proposals with stakeholders, particularly disabled people and the organisations that represent them.

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