§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are in place to(a) encourage employers to increase the opportunities offered to disabled people and (b) challenge people to donate time to charitable and community projects in the European Year of Disabled People. [86867]
§ Maria EagleJobcentre Plus will continue to operate a number of measures involving employers during the European Year of Disabled People. Programmes such as WORKSTEP, Access to Work, the Job Introduction Scheme, and Work Preparation will identify job opportunities and help disabled people into work.
We have launched a project fund of £2.3 million to enable a wide range of disability organisations to undertake community projects across the country. We are sponsoring more than 170 projects.
In addition we are using the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) for the European Year to encourage participation among its membership organisations. These include the Federation of Small Businesses, the Confederation of British Industry, the Trades Union Congress, and a range of organisations representing disabled people.