§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to improve Access to Work for disabled people. [116988]
§ Ms HodgeThe Access to Work programme has been successful in helping an increasing number of disabled people to remain or move into employment year on year. Over the next financial year we expect to help more than 23,000 people through Access to Work at a cost of nearly £26 million. This represents an increase of over 3,000 compared with the current year.
The Employment Service is also planning to improve the quality of service offered through Access to Work. Over the next year, it is strengthening the Disability Service training, conducting a customer satisfaction survey, and undertaking a review to streamline Access to Work processes.