Employment

January 25, 2018 0

DWP refuses to name charities set to earn millions from new disability jobs scheme

The Department for Work and Pensions has refused to name the charities and other organisations being paid millions of pounds to help deliver its new disability employment programme across England and Wales. All six of the new Work and Health Programme contracts went “live” last week, and DWP announced the main contractors in October.

Employment

Sarah Newton speaking in the House of Commons

January 18, 2018 0

Newton dodges questions on government’s disability record by pulling out of meeting

Listen

The minister for disabled people pulled out of a meeting with MPs, peers and disabled campaigners, days after agreeing to be questioned about her government’s disability employment strategy. Sarah Newton had promised to attend this week’s meeting of the all-party parliamentary group for disability (APPGD) to discuss Improving Lives, her government’s new work, health

Employment

January 4, 2018 0

OBE for Access to Work boss is ‘further slap in the face’ for disabled people

Listen

Disabled campaigners have criticised the decision to award an OBE to the senior Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) civil servant responsible for delivering the much-criticised Access to Work (AtW) scheme. Rilesh Jadeja, AtW’s national delivery manager, was recognised in the latest new year’s honours “for services to people with disabilities”, just two months

Employment

Philip Hammond giving evidence to a Commons committee

December 7, 2017 0

Outrage after chancellor blames disabled people for UK’s economic woes

Listen

The chancellor of the exchequer is facing calls to apologise after he made “disgraceful” comments that blamed disabled people for the country’s poor economic performance. Philip Hammond’s comments to the Treasury select committee yesterday (Wednesday) came just days after his government launched its new 10-year Improving Lives strategy, which aims to find jobs for

Employment

David Buxton, signing, and Terry Riley give evidence to a House of Lords committee

December 7, 2017 0

Deaf leader launches legal case over ‘discriminatory’ Access to Work cap

Listen

A Deaf chief executive has launched a legal case against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over its “discriminatory” cap on the amount of support available to help disabled people with disability-related expenses at work. David Buxton, chief executive of Action on Disability in London, is one of many British Sign Language-users who

Employment

Hundreds of white flowers lying on grass

December 7, 2017 0

Improving Lives: Fears over strategy’s ‘unacceptable’ work and health links

Listen

The government’s “cruel” and “unacceptable” emphasis on linking health and job outcomes in its new work, health and disability strategy will have a significant negative impact on people in mental distress, say campaigners and experts. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health released their joint 10-year Improving Lives strategy

Employment

December 7, 2017 0

Improving Lives: Ministers back down on ‘mandatory’ activity for ESA support group

Listen

Ministers have backed down – at least temporarily – from plans to force all sick and disabled people on out-of-work disability benefits to take part in compulsory work-related activity. There was an outcry among disabled campaigners last year when the government’s work, health and disability green paper suggested that claimants of employment and support

Employment

December 7, 2017 0

Improving Lives: Government considers financial incentives for employers

Listen

The government is considering offering financial incentives to employers to persuade them to recruit more disabled employees, as part of a 10-year strategy to secure jobs for one million more disabled people by 2027. The long-awaited Improving Lives strategy includes proposals across social security, the workplace and healthcare, in response to a consultation that

Employment

Philip Connolly speaking at a conference

November 30, 2017 0

Industrial strategy is ‘not fit for purpose’ due to ‘missing chapter’

Listen

The government’s new Industrial Strategy is “not fit for purpose” and has a “missing chapter” because of its failure to address the needs of disabled people, say campaigners. The strategy, published as a white paper on Monday (27 November), aims to set out the government’s “long-term vision for how Britain can build on its

Browsing: Employment