A Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) has revealed a sharp fall in the number of Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) and Jobcentres.
STUC General Secretary, Grahame Smith, said:
“In 2010, when the coalition Government came to power, in the 781 Jobcentre Plus throughout the United Kingdom, disabled people looking for work could rely on the support of 499 specialised DEAs.
Five years later 67 Jobcentre offices have closed; in itself a potential accessibility issue for disabled people, but crucially the Government has chosen to attack disabled job hunters by decimating the number of specialised advisers to help them into work.
The information supplied by the DWP shows that in May 2015 the number of DEAs had fallen to 297, a fall of 40%.”
He added that “disabled people need support not sanctions to get into work.”
For more information see STUC Attacks Tories Failure to Support Disabled People into Work @ www.stuc.org.uk