Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2014-03-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the Welsh model of assistance offered to former Remploy employees setting up a business and not subject to TUPE provisions to England and Scotland.

Mike Penning

The Government agreed to a transitional time limited wage subsidy, for all disabled workers that TUPE to a new employer as part of Remploy’s commercial process, to support the ongoing employment of Remploy disabled workers.

For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government agreed that the best support to help them find a job was to put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP) providing help for up to 18 months. As at 21 March 2014, 1,513 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our Personal Case Workers to find another job and 716 are in work.

The PHSP includes one to one support from a Personal Case Worker to identify suitable help to find work including access to advice and support to set up a business. This includes the Community Support Fund, which has provided financial support for former disabled Remploy workers to help them use existing skills and expertise to set up three new small businesses in Aberdeen, Stoke and Worksop. In addition, three other Community Support Fund projects are being used to set up small businesses in Birkenhead, Leeds and Newcastle.