Working-age Welfare System
Lord Hintze Excerpts(2 weeks, 6 days ago)
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Baroness Sherlock (Lab)
The noble Baroness makes an excellent point. She is absolutely right that the employment rate for people with a learning disability is unacceptably low. Through developing our connect to work programme, we have found that we need to work with both the employer and the individual who wants a job. I have been given some really interesting cases—some wonderful examples. A young woman called Jennifer, who had left college and been unable to get a job, worked with connect to work and was given help with interview support and with identifying an employer. They found an opportunity for her to work with Stagecoach. Stagecoach wants to employ such individuals and regards her as a valuable employee, but once she is in the job, connect to work can carry on supporting her and make sure that she gets the continued support she needs to stay in it. That is the way forward: to work with individuals and to find out what they most want to do. Jennifer is now a bus driver. Other people have opportunities to do other things. For each individual, it will be different, whether or not they have a learning disability.
Lord Hintze (Con)
My Lords, the Minister has said something very important. We have, obviously, a huge need to support the vulnerable in our country. We all agree with that. But what about what the Minister said about making sure that those who cannot work are supported? How are the Government making sure that those who are taking welfare—and there is a two-way obligation here, to the individual and to the state—are in fact vulnerable and need that support?