STORY
The Work and Pensions Committee has welcomed the Government’s Connect to Work programme but warned that inconsistent delivery could undermine its success. The cross party committee described the scheme as a positive evolution in supporting people with disabilities or health conditions into employment.
The programme is intended to help people with the most challenging barriers to work, with the Government forecasting that it will support 300,000 people over the life of the scheme. MPs said local authority delivery could allow support to reflect local business needs, skills and services, but warned that inconsistent support from Whitehall had created uncertainty for some providers.
Committee chair Debbie Abrahams said disability was not a niche issue and that one in four people were disabled or had a health condition that could affect them at work. The committee called on the Government to set out how it will address variations in delivery and avoid a postcode lottery.