Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase the number of people with learning disabilities in both part-time and full-time employment.

Mike Penning

We do not target our employment support exclusively at individuals with particular impairments. Instead, through a range of programmes, we aim to identify and meet the needs of the individual, including the needs of people with learning disabilities

The Work Programme is the biggest single Welfare to Work programme, which provides personalised back-to-work support for unemployed people, including disabled people. For those that have more complex needs, we have a range of specialist disability employment programmes, including Access to Work, Work Choice and Residential Training Colleges, all of which support people with learning difficulties to take up and remain in employment. In particular, Access to Work can provide funding towards tailored support for people with learning difficulties such as specialist aids, equipment and support workers.

Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisers provide support and advice for disabled people who need help finding and retaining employment and refer individuals to specialist programmes, where appropriate.