Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 4th November

We are currently experiencing record levels of employment as the economy continues to grow. Consequently for people of working age, there is now an 80% chance that they will be in work - one of the highest levels we have seen.

However if you have a disability, the chance of being in work falls significantly to 48%. Although this is a vast improvement to the 44% it was at three years ago (as we have seen 500,000 more disabled people find work), there is still some way to go if we are to halve the disability employment gap.

Furthermore if you have a learning disability, there is only a 6% chance that you will be in work. This is not good enough. That’s why I have been working to lead on apprenticeships for people with learning disabilities.

In May 2016 as Minister for Disabled People I commissioned a taskforce alongside the then Minister for Skills, to explore access to apprenticeships for those with learning disabilities. The work of the taskforce eventually lead to the adjustment of the minimum standard of English and maths required (to entry level 3) for a defined group of apprentices with learning disabilities who were able to meet the occupational standard but often struggled to achieve English and maths qualifications at the level normally required.

This was one of my proudest moments during my time as the Minister as it meant that people with learning disabilities were now being provided with an opportunity that they didn’t have before. On Monday I spoke in a debate on apprenticeship funding to again highlight the importance of providing in work training and the opportunity to work (not necessarily full-time) for those with learning disabilities who are often desperate to be given a chance to prove their capabilities.

Elsewhere I was joined by local Swindon Borough Councillor Russell Holland in Parliament as we met with the Money Advice Trust to discuss signposting people to free debt advice at the start of the Council Tax arrears process. This will ensure that people are provided with all the information on the support available should they fall into trouble and require advice. Swindon Borough Council is already doing good work to recognise those who may need such help and we were able to advice the national organisations on how this could be done.

Finally I was very disappointed to see the court ruling challenging the process of Brexit. According to the courts, it should be down to MPs, not just the Prime Minister to approve the article 50 process. Considering there was a democratic referendum where over 17 million people voted for Brexit, this is a bad decision. Thankfully the Government will appeal the decision as we try to ensure that the will of the public is absolutely paramount.