HC Deb 28 July 2000 vol 354 cc1050-1W
Mr. Allan

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what Employment Service guidelines exist in respect of making disabled clients aware of the Access to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement. [131566]

Ms Hodge

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Richard Allan, dated 28 July 2000: As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about Access to Work. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency. The Access to Work programme provides advice and practical support towards meeting the additional employment costs which disabled people may incur in the work place. Our publicity strategy is to raise awareness of the whole range of support available to disabled people and their employers from our disability services. Thus we generally market these services collectively to give a coherent picture of the support available. We produce, for example, leaflets, audio tapes, videos, posters, advertisements and articles for publication in a range of general and specific disability journals. All such advertising includes information on the Access to Work programme. The leaflets we produce are freely available from Jobcentres, our Disability Service Teams and at marketing events, and we produce them in alternative formats. There are specific leaflets for disabled people and employers promoting the Access to Work programme. Disability Employment Advisers use these leaflets on visits to employers to ensure they are aware of Access to Work. We also promote our services, including Access to Work, at many national, regional and local marketing events. In addition to our own promotions, the Government's See the Person campaign was designed to raise awareness of the positive contribution which disabled people are able to make. The campaign referred directly to the support which the Access to Work programme can provide to those in work. Also, some disability organisations publicise the Access to Work programme in their membership magazines and at least two have web pages on the Internet, prepared in consultation with our Disability Services, advising about the Access to Work programme. I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Allan

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many disabled people have joined the New Deal for(a) young people, (b) 25 plus, (c) lone parents and (d) partners of the unemployed. [131567]

Ms Jowell

The information requested (for Great Britain) is as follows:

  1. (a) Since January 1998 to the end of April 2000, 58,400 disabled people have joined the New Deal for Young People.
  2. (b) Since July 1998 to the end of April 2000, 50,600 disabled people have joined the New Deal for Long-Term Unemployed People aged 25 and over national measures.
  3. (c) Since October 1998, the start of the national programme, to the end of April 2000, 4,500 lone parents with disabilities have joined the caseload of the New Deal for Lone Parents.
  4. (d) Since April 1999 to the end of June 2000, 178 disabled people have attended a NDPU initial interview with a personal adviser.