Access to Work Scheme Debate
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Jonathan Brash
Main Page: Jonathan Brash (Labour - Hartlepool)Department Debates - View all Jonathan Brash's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
(1 day, 10 hours ago)
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David Chadwick
I agree wholeheartedly that that is a great waste of the undoubted talent that Megan has and should be able to bring to the table.
Demand for the scheme has risen sharply. That should be welcomed, because it shows that people want to work and want to get back into work, but the system has not kept up with their demands. Backlogs are growing, processing times are getting longer and confidence in the scheme is falling away.
Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)
I met the Disability Poverty Campaign Group, which points to the fact that in recent years average support has fallen sharply and, as a result, job retention has dropped from 88% to 43%. That is fewer people in work as a result of the broken system the hon. Gentleman describes. That is counterintuitive when we want to strengthen our economy and ensure that people are in work.
David Chadwick
The hon. Member is right to focus on retention, which is an equally important part of the scheme.