Employers' Forum on Disability welcomes new work tests for disabled people

Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) broadly welcomes the introduction of Government's work capability test today.

The new disability test shifts the emphasis away from what disabled people can't do to what they can do, with the aim to cut the number of incapacity benefit (IB) claimants.

However, EFD believes that in order for the government to successfully get some IB claimants back into work employers must be given the necessary support to pull disabled people into sustainable jobs.

Niccola Swan, deputy chief executive of Employers' Forum on Disability said: If this test is conducted properly, it could change the employment prospects for thousands of disabled people currently out of work.

Our concern is that employers are given necessary information and support to employ more disabled people.

Tougher tests could have a disastrous affect on the well-being of some disabled people if employers are not given the ability to say 'yes' to employing them, with more people ending up on employment benefit.

We are also concerned that the test will not be able to reflect the ability of people with fluctuating conditions, such as mental ill health, cancer or HIV.

The government's new work capability assessment is related to employment potential.

Applicants for employment support allowance will be tested on work-related skills such as use of computer, rather than how many steps they can climb or what they can carry.

Later today EFD will be presenting the results of the Employers' Forum Disability Standard 2007 to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability (APPDG).

One hundred and sixteen EFD members took party in the survey, which tells business where it is, where it should be and how it needs to get there, on disability.