The new minister for disabled people in the United Kingdom acknowledged the government “had room for improvement” when it comes to helping disabled people find employment.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Tom Pursglove remarked when presenting a new Disability Action Plan.
He is the third member of parliament to hold the job in the past six months.
The Office for National Statistics reports that 53 percent of disabled individuals in the United Kingdom are employed.
This compares to 82% of those without disabilities.
Often stated as impediments to disabled people entering the labor is a lack of accessibility in the workplace, biases in hiring procedures, and initial difficulty accessing employment resources.
Mr. Pursglove, who has been the MP for Corby since 2015, told that digitizing the Access to Work program is one way he aims to improve the employment experience for disabled people.
Access to Work attempts to help impaired individuals find or maintain employment. It gives funds to British Sign Language users to pay for practical support such as transportation or interpreters but is currently paper-based.
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Mr. Pursglove, aged 34, stated that while the scheme “unlocks so many chances for so many people,” there is “room for improvement in how that system and process operates.”
He continued, “I’ve only been in this position for a short time, but one of the things that have struck me is what more can we do to try and digitalize those procedures wherever possible?
“What can we do to minimize the number of delays individuals experience? And how can we make it even more efficient?”
More than 25,000 disabled individuals are currently awaiting the processing of their Access to Work application, and the processing time has nearly quadrupled in the past year, from 32.5 days to 63.1 days.
The Minister made these remarks when he inaugurated a new Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) research laboratory in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, on 3 December to commemorate International Day of People with Disabilities.
The GDI Hub is a data-driven research center focused on disability innovation and inclusion.
The announcement of the Disability Action Plan, which the government claims will “significantly improve” the lives of disabled people, comes nearly a year after a survey of disabled people, which was used to inform the highly anticipated National Disability Strategy, was deemed “illegal” by the High Court.
The UK Disability Survey received 14,000 responses in January 2022, but it was determined that handicapped persons were not adequately consulted to enable “meaningful responses.” Currently, the administration is appealing the ruling.
It was said that the newly announced Disability Action Plan was distinct from the National Disability Strategy and that a consultation will be conducted.
