Concerns over drastic cuts to work scheme for disabled people 3/10/11
MP Angus Brendan MacNeil is writing to the Secretary Of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith MP, expressing alarm at the changes to help for disabled workers that are coming into force in October.
Mr Macneil said: “I have been contacted by social enterprises in my constituency, who specialise in helping disabled people become more productive members of society as well as personally becoming more accomplished people.
“This change in people’s lives has been brought about by the Work Step Programme,
which assisted people into work with £280 per month help for three years. This has
been drastically cut by 75%, which threatens the possibility of many disabled people
moving to lead independent or semi-
“With the Work Step programme now being rebranded as the Work Choices Programme, I am further being informed that next to no new applicants are being taken on the Work Choices Programme. Which effectively means help for the disabled to get into work is being choked off by the UK Government’s policies.
“I am writing to Iain Duncan Smith asking what he plans to do or if he will modify this policy so that the most needy in our society are helped.”