Local MP Elected As Officer For APPG On Learning Disability

North Swindon MP and former Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson, has become an officer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disabilities.

The cross-party group, supported by Mencap, focuses on ensuring that Government policy provides the very best opportunities for people with a learning disability. 

The term 'learning disability' covers a wide-range of conditions including Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome and some forms of Autism. A learning disability is viewed as a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life

Mencap estimates that across the United Kingdom, approximately 1.5 million people have a learning disability. Additionally, fewer than two in ten people with a learning disability are in employment despite estimates that, with the right tailored supported, as many as eight in ten could work.  Locally, Justin has worked closely with learning disability organisations including the Swindon Down's Syndrome Group to look at how small reforms can make a huge difference. 

Over the next twelve months, the APPG will conduct inquiries on employment, apprenticeships, health and social care, supported housing, media representation and the Paralympic legacy, all through the prism of their relationship with people with a learning disability. 

Justin Tomlinson MP said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to work cross-party on improving the life chances of people with a learning disability. Currently fewer than two in ten people with a learning disability are in employment and during my time as a Minister I worked to break down the barriers to employment and saw first-hand the excellent work of projects like Foxes Hotel. In this new role, I will be working with MPs from other parties, as well as Mencap, to ensure we remove these barriers completely."