Eleven Secretaries of State (and Scottish and Welsh Ministers) have published reports which show how they are helping disabled people to achieve equality.
James Purnell’s report is based on DWP’s Departmental Strategic Objectives. Major progress has been made in these areas:
- the employment rate of disabled people has increased by nine percentage points since 1998, to 48 per cent in 2008;
- the new Employment and Support Allowance will help to more people find and stay in work, by focusing on what people can do rather than what they can’t;
- the amount of money disabled people receive through benefits has increased; and
- the creation of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service will give a better service to customers.
To help the government reach its vision of disability equality by 2025, DWP will work with other public authorities on the following areas:
- developing a national strategy for mental health and employment. This will help people of working age with mental health conditions to improve their chances of employment;
- developing a strategy to lift more children out of poverty, including investment and further research to establish new approaches that will impact on disabled children or those children with disabled parents.
- the Pension, Disability and Carers Service will work with Local Authorities, health services and voluntary bodies to improve local services; and
- developing proposals on how to deliver the right to request an individual budget for disabled people.
Find out more about by reading the Secretary of State’s report.