Disabled People: Access to Work Fund

Debate between Baroness Altmann and Baroness Wilkins

Monday 29th June 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Altmann]

I reassure the right reverend Prelate that we will continue to support deaf people and people with hearing loss. Specialist teams will help customers and their employers with advice on adjustments and technological support and with personal budgets so that users can manage their support flexibly themselves when the scheme is rolled out later in 2015-16. We are also in discussions with relevant stakeholders about how best to plan the implementation. As I said, existing customers will be protected until 2018 while we work through the transition.

[Baroness Wilkins (Lab)]

My Lords, how will the department monitor the impact of the cap on Access to Work funding from the day it is introduced?

[Baroness Altmann]

We will carefully monitor all our programmes. Access to Work is one of the many programmes that we have introduced and are planning to roll out to protect the disabled and help them to work if they want to, as many do. Last year, we ensured that nearly a quarter of a million more disabled people had work. That is a tremendous success, and our programmes are working.