Employers' Forum on Disability gives cautious welcome to welfare reform plans
22nd July 2008
Employers' Forum on Disability today (July 22) gave a cautious welcome to the government's Green Paper on welfare reform, particularly the doubling of funding for Access to Work.
The welfare reform Green Paper 'No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility' focuses on five key areas of welfare reform, and includes increased funding for projects that will help people into work.
EFD's Chief executive Susan Scott-Parker said: "With around one million disabled people unemployed but willing to work, any welfare reform proposals will need the support of both employers and disabled people.
"We welcome the proposal to double funding for Access to Work, which would make it easier for disabled people to get the practical support they need at work.
"The plans are short on detail at the moment. While we welcome the government's commitment to working with employers, we would expect any plans to change employers' attitudes on disability to focus on providing practical support and a clear business case for doing so.
"We know from the experience of our 'disability confident' members that many employers already understand that employing disabled people has benefits across their business.
"We look forward to working with government to help bridge the gap between the needs of unemployed disabled people and employers with vacancies to fill. We agree that no disabled person should be written off, and government and employers alike should focus on realising the potential of disabled people."
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Notes to editors
Media enquiries, please contact:
Liz Nightingale, Communications Manager
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: liz.nightingale@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020
About Employers' Forum on Disability
Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 400 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.