Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the full-time employment of adults with special learning needs; and what progress was made in (1) 2015, and (2) 2016.

The Government strongly supports the need to provide more employment opportunities to adults with a learning disability or autism.

In 2015 3,140 individuals with a learning disability started the Work Choice programme, with 61% achieving a job outcome. 2016 annual data are not yet available. In 2015 the department introduced Specialist Employability Support (SES) to provide up to a further 1700 places per year intensive and personalised support for people, including those with learning disabilities.

Disability Confident works to influence employers to take on more disabled people, including those with learning disabilities, and to market Access to Work to disabled people.

Access to Work has a new Hidden Impairment Support Team which aims to give advice and guidance to employers, and offers eligible workers an assessment of their needs at work and a support plan.

Last year, Paul Maynard MP led a taskforce that made recommendations to Government on how to improve access to apprenticeships for people with learning disabilities. Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working together to implement all of these recommendations.

Looking forward, we are testing ways to improve our support for people with learning disabilities through a Local Supported Employment proof of concept and Supported Work Experience for young people, which offers young people with learning disabilities and other long term conditions a chance to spend time with an employer.