HL Deb 17 February 1998 vol 586 cc144-6

3.1 p.m.

Lord Ashley of Stoke

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will ensure that, as part of the "new deal" for disabled people, employers will not be required to make a financial contribution which would diminish employment opportunities.

The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)

My Lords, we shall not require employers to make any financial contributions that will diminish employment opportunities for disabled people. The aim of the New Deal for Disabled People is to help those on various incapacity benefits who wish to work to do so. The key feature of the New Deal will be help from a personal adviser and access to such specialist services as are needed to retain or obtain a job.

Lord Ashley of Stoke

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that that is a decision of far-reaching importance for the job prospects of many disabled people and will be warmly appreciated by them? Can my noble friend tell the House whether it also means that employers taking on disabled workers under the New Deal will face no extra costs if new equipment or adaptations are required?

Baroness Blackstone

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for his support for this programme. Within the New Deal for Disabled People the full range of existing services for disabled people currently provided by the employment service, including the access to work programme, will be available. Under Access to Work employers do not have to make a financial contribution to any special help, such as equipment, which my noble friend mentioned, when they recruit an unemployed disabled person. The access to work arrangements cover the first three years.

Lord Davies of Coity

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that the only way in which we can guarantee employment opportunities for disabled people is by ensuring that there is some measure of compulsion on employers unless they can show just cause why it would not be practical?

Baroness Blackstone

My Lords, the Government hope to change the attitudes of employers and the public about the provision of job opportunities for disabled people. We are aware that a great many people with disabilities would like to work, given the opportunity. I do not believe that compulsion is the right way to generate new opportunities for those people.

Lord Campbell of Croy

My Lords, can the noble Baroness assure us that the access to work scheme, introduced some four years ago and widely acclaimed, will not be changed to require additional finance from employers? Are the Government consulting the Employers Forum on Disability, which possesses much knowledge and experience in this field?

Baroness Blackstone

Yes, my Lords, the Government are consulting the Forum on Disability. Some changes have been made to access to work which I believe the noble Lord will think positive. Last summer the Government announced that Access to Work would be able to help where an employer wishes to employ a disabled person. The cost-sharing rules have been relaxed. The Government will not require either employers or the self-employed to pay the annual threshold for the second or third year. However, we are aware of the concerns of many about the effect of cost-sharing. We wish to consider the matter, including whether changing the powers under which Access to Work is run might mean that we could provide more help for those working in small or medium-sized firms. I hope that is helpful.

Lord Morris of Manchester

My Lords, in thanking my noble friend for replying to me so helpfully yesterday, can I ask her to convey to interested colleagues across Whitehall the strongly-held view of workless disabled people that more will be done to improve their job prospects by tackling unjustified discrimination against them in the labour market, and improving access for them to public transport, than anything that can be achieved by cutting the benefits on which their independence so crucially relies?

Baroness Blackstone

Yes, my Lords, I can certainly convey to my ministerial colleagues in a variety of departments my noble friend's views. The Government support schemes that help disabled people with transport costs. Indeed, transport costs of disabled people who obtain jobs are covered by the access to work scheme.

Lord Higgins

My Lords—

Noble Lords

Lord Addington! Lord Addington!

Lord Higgins

My Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness to elaborate on the Answer which she gave yesterday—

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Richard)

My Lords, it is customary to allow the main Opposition spokesman a chance to ask a question. I know that we are desperately short of time. I hope that in those circumstances those on the Liberal Democrat Benches will permit the noble Lord opposite to ask his question.

Lord Higgins

My Lords, I am deeply grateful. I apologise if I am curtailing the noble Lord's Question. Will the noble Baroness elaborate on the Answer which she gave to a related Question about the disabled yesterday? Are we right in thinking that, in the course of his speeches around the country on these issues, the Prime Minister will discuss the New Deal for Disabled People? Can she confirm what I understood from her Answer yesterday; namely, that the meetings will be open to the general public?

Baroness Blackstone

My Lords. I believe that only yesterday the Prime Minister had a discussion with representatives from disabled groups about benefit schemes and ways in which they might be reformed. The New Deal for Disabled People will also be discussed. The Government consulted a variety of groups on that matter last November. A bidding process for the New Deal for Disabled People will allow a wide variety of bodies to put in bids with innovative schemes. I know that the Prime Minister will want to hear about those schemes and to listen to the views of the general public on the welfare to work reforms scheme when he is travelling around the country.