The Department of Work and Pension’s Access to Work, Official Statistics, April 2012 report shows that 3,210 fewer customers were helped in the period 2010-11 compared with 2009-10

16/05/2012

Numbers of new Access to Work customers that were ‘helped’ are dropping, in financial year 2010-1211 13,330 received support, less than the 16,540 ‘helped’ in 2009-10.  The report provides figures from 2007 up to and including December 2011.

In the 8 months from April 2011 to December 2011 there were only 7,370 new customers, if this of rate continues the number of ‘new customers’ for April 2011 to the end of March 2012 will drop still further to about 11,580.

Access to Work (AtW) can contribute towards the costs of equipment, the costs of adapting premises or paying for a support worker for disabled people or those that have a health condition.

Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller has promised an increase of £15 million in the amount of funding for AtW at the same time that disabled people currently in employment are fighting cuts in their AtW funding as a result of reviews. It seems that the government gives with one hand and takes with another.

The full DWP report is available at: research.dwp.gov.uk/workingage