North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd Cross-Party Groups on Disability, on Autism and on Deaf Issues, Mark Isherwood, has raised concerns over Welsh Government and UK Government support for Disabled people.
Speaking in the Debate on the Equality and Social Justice Committee report, ‘Anything’s Achievable with the Right Support: Tackling the Disability Employment Gap’, Mr Isherwood expressed concern that “the Welsh Government Response to the seven recommendations in this report accepts ‘in Principle’ only five of these”.
Having presented the Awards at the Work and Health Programme Celebration Event in Wrexham earlier this year, he also spoke of the impact of the closure of this programme, referring to the sector’s evidenced concern that the new Programme “will dilute and therefore reduce support for the many Disabled and Autistic People who want to work”.
Referring to the Welsh Government Response to the Committee report, he said:
“This is not an acceptable response, when the Permanent Secretary previously gave the Public Accounts Committee a commitment, in January 2018, to end this practice in light of Members' concerns that ‘acceptance in principle’ did ‘not constitute an adequate response’.
“Further, yet again, it is not clear how the Welsh Government has agreed with the recommendations even in principle. Although the Welsh Government's responses refer to other activity being undertaken, implementation requires monitoring, evaluation, and a clear timetable.
“Three of the Welsh Government’s five ‘accept in principle’ responses refer to the then unpublished, but since published, draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan and its associated actions, stating, for example: ‘This plan includes consideration of the employment and pay differences between disabled people and non-disabled people, and the measures needed to reduce these variations’. And that: ‘Key projects for the Disability Disparity Evidence Unit in 2025-26 will include … a new programme of work to evaluate the implementation and impact of the Disabled People’s Rights Plan’.
“As I stated here last week, however, I have consulted the sector on this Plan as Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Disability . They expressed disappointment with the lack of actionable measures within the short-term, and stated that many of the longer-term objectives lack firm commitments.
“I also referred to criticism from within the sector, that the Plan does not have concrete targets, making it impossible to hold the Welsh Government to account on progress.”
Mr Isherwood stressed that the sector is also concerned that the UK Government’s current Pathways to Work Green Paper proposals “risk further disabling people in Wales by compounding poverty and exclusion, placing further pressures on devolved services such as health and social care, and on the adequacy of funding through the Barnett formula”.
He said:
“In January, I presented the Awards at the Work and Health Programme Celebration Event in Wrexham. This employment support Programme, launched by the previous UK Government and delivered initially by Remploy, then by Maximus, with support from local charities, community organisations and public bodies, has been instrumental in helping disabled people, individuals with health conditions and other groups to find and sustain employment.
“Although support will continue until July 2026 for all those who had already been referred to the programme, the Programme was closed to new referrals on 30th September 2024. Although the DWP has issued Grant Guidance for Wales for the UK Government’s successor ‘Connect to Work’ Programme, this is yet to launch, potentially denying Disabled People in Wales referral to an equivalent programme for a year or more.
“Third Sector providers in Wales are also expressing evidenced concern that the new Programme risks diluting and therefore reducing support for the many Disabled and Autistic People who want to work, but face the most complex barriers to employment, be they process-driven, attitudinal, physical, technological, or just plain poor understanding and prejudice. As Disabled people have told the Cross-Party Groups on Disability, on Autism and on Deaf Issues, their lack of employment is a consequence of these barriers, and not of choice.”