DISABILITY minister Mark Harper says new changes to the Access to Work scheme will benefit 3,000 more disabled people. But some disabled workers already receiving high awards are to have them slashed.
About 200 people with high level awards – the highest about £120,000 a year – account for more than 10 per cent of the scheme’s entire budget.
But changes to the scheme will limit future support to one and a half times the national average salary, about £40,000.
The £3m ‘savings’ will be used to help support another 3,000 disabled workers at an average of £3,000 a year.
The cap will come into effect this October for new applicants, while those currently receiving support will be exempt from the new limit until April 2018.
The Government is also reviewing the support deaf people receive via sign language interpreters and the use of taxis by disabled people to and from work, which accounts for around 30 per cent of the overall budget.
Minister for Disabled People Mark Harper said:
“Access to Work plays a crucial role in supporting disabled people in employment and I want to see many more people benefiting from it – particularly people with mental health conditions who can face significant barriers to work and are currently under-represented in employment.”
In 2013/14 Access to Work spent £108m to help 35,540 disabled people enter or remain in work, over 4,000 more than the previous year.
The investment of an extra £15m in the scheme since 2012 has seen a steady rise in the numbers of people supported.
