Disability Confident

Employment

Sarah Newton giving evidence to the committee as Esther McVey watches on beside her

July 12, 2018 0

Minister denies lying to MPs over Disability Confident history

The minister for disabled people has denied lying to an influential committee of MPs about the government’s much-criticised disability employment scheme. Sarah Newton’s claims about Disability Confident were exposed yesterday (Wednesday) just as her boss, work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, was herself fighting off a Commons motion that would have censured her for

Employment

David Cameron launching Disability Confident

July 12, 2018 0

Disability Confident employers promise less than one job each on average

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Nearly 7,000 employers that signed up to the government’s much-criticised Disability Confident jobs scheme have promised to provide just 4,500 new jobs for disabled people between them, less than one per employer. The figures emerged as the minister for disabled people, Sarah Newton, and work and pensions secretary Esther McVey were giving evidence to

Employment

A white car parked in the centre of two parking bays

June 21, 2018 0

‘Discrimination’ by DWP’s IT company ‘exposed disabled employee to months of abuse’

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A “Disability Confident” company owned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) subjected a disabled member of staff to repeated abuse from strangers after it refused for more than 15 months to make a simple alteration to his parking arrangements. It is now more than 15 months since wheelchair-user Jamie Shield reported to

Employment

A female wheelchair-user holds a packet of Maltesers

May 10, 2018 0

Boards of biggest companies should appoint ‘disability champions’, says new report

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Every one of the country’s biggest companies should ensure they have a “disability champion” on their board by 2020, according to a new report co-authored by a leading disabled social entrepreneur. The report also calls on the boards of Britain’s biggest 350 businesses to include disability as a formal agenda item at least once

Employment

Robin Christopherson giving evidence in parliamennt, watched by another man

April 19, 2018 0

League table ‘would help government departments improve on assistive technology’

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The government should set up a league table of its departments so it can compare their performance in enabling the use of assistive technology by disabled civil servants, a committee of MPs has suggested. The Commons work and pensions select committee says in its Assistive Technology report that a league table would “incentivise” government

Employment

Marsha de Cordova speaking in the House of Commons

March 1, 2018 0

Government ‘must do more on disability employment’, MPs hear

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The government must do more to offer incentives to businesses to take on disabled people as employees, and to tackle the barriers that prevent them finding jobs, according to cross-party MPs. MPs from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Conservative party all pushed the government to improve its policies. Disability Rights UK,

Employment

Philip Hammond giving evidence to a Commons committee

December 7, 2017 0

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

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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

Leonora Bateman, head and shoulders, on a slant

September 28, 2017 0

Disabled woman forced to quit job by ‘Disability Confident’ government

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A disabled woman has been forced to quit her job because two “Disability Confident” government organisations refused to allow her to use one of the parking spaces close to the offices where she worked. Leonora Bateman worked for a company wholly owned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), while the offices where

Employment

Philip Connolly speaking at a conference

July 20, 2017 0

Senior civil servant admits draft industrial strategy failed on disability

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A senior civil servant has admitted to MPs and peers that the government’s industrial strategy will not be “fit for purpose” unless it corrects its failure to consider disability and other equality issues in a green paper it published in January. Alex Williams, the civil servant responsible for sector deals* for the Department for

Employment

Two men and a woman beside a poster which says 'help me spend my money'

July 13, 2017 0

Purple boss raises concerns over Disability Confident accreditation

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New concerns have been raised about the government’s Disability Confident employment campaign, after a leading disabled social entrepreneur said that some businesses could be finding it easier than intended to secure the highest level of accreditation. Mike Adams, chief executive of the social enterprise Purple, said he was concerned that some organisations providing Disability

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