Disabled People: Employment

Lord Touhig Excerpts

Thursday 15th March 2012 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Touhig]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what alternative employment they expect to be available for the disabled Remploy workers who face losing their jobs as a result of the decision to reduce the subsidy to Remploy.

[Lord De Mauley]

My Lords, the Government are totally committed to increasing the number of disabled people in work. We have made £8 million available to establish a comprehensive support package to support every disabled employee displaced from a Remploy factory with the transition from government-funded sheltered employment into mainstream employment. We are working with employers to ensure that all potential opportunities are identified and accessible to Remploy employees. The Government are working with the Employers’ Forum on Disability to develop plans for employers to offer targeted work opportunities for displaced staff.

[Lord Touhig]

My Lords, the Welsh Government have said that if the Remploy budget for Wales is handed over to them for the next three years, they will aim to restructure the company, maintain jobs and protect its future. Why have the Government rejected the opportunity to keep disabled people in work, earning wages and paying taxes rather than being unemployed and living on benefits? Will the Government think again on that Welsh government offer?

[Lord De Mauley]

My Lords, I say, first, that I absolutely understand why the noble Lord is raising this Question. The threat of redundancy is deeply concerning for anyone, and most of all, I am sure, for disabled people. This matter is not devolved to Wales and the funding will not be devolved. Remploy’s employment services have a good record of placing disabled and disadvantaged people in work in Wales, with more than 2,300 people having been helped in the past year, and there are a large number of notified job vacancies—in fact, 110,000—in the local authority areas where the nine Welsh factories are located. Therefore, although I understand the concerns, I think that there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects of the individuals who will receive tailored individual support.