Two million new jobs is a bold promise. One million for disabled people is a worthy aspiration
However the Government’s proposed measures seem drawn from the view that people are on welfare because of the level of benefits when it is more often the lack of adequate or effective employment support. The Queens speech appears to offer a crock of gold but no rainbow to get them there.
Disability Rights UK urges the Government to introduce a national work experience programme for young disabled people, provide a legal framework for job retention so that people don’t lose their jobs so easily simply because they have acquired a disability, make the Access to Work scheme effective and allow disabled jobseekers to commission the employment support that meets their specific needs from an individual back to work support budget.
On benefits the Government still hasn’t explained where £12 billion of cuts will fall and so we await the budget for the necessary detail. In advance of that we call on the Government to recognise that disabled people will only be able to reach our full potential as equal citizens if our support needs are met and we can achieve independent living.