Stay focused on reform, charity urges Government

National charity Shaw Trust has urged the government, rocked by another storm of David Blunkett stories, to stay focused on its vital agenda of Incapacity Benefit reforms.
The charity is eager to ensure that the current row over the Secretary Of State’s business dealings does not delay desperately-needed renovation to the IB system.
Thousands of people are currently suffering from a system that punishes people who want to work, said Ian Charlesworth, Managing Director of national charity Shaw Trust, which is the leading UK provider of employment services for disabled people.

It is important that the department’s reforms, and the debate about them, are given centre stage. We, and the government, want to support as many people as possible into employment and we hope that the reforms will be empowering for those who can work, and also give disabled people the right to take control of their own lives.

UK bosses are struggling to fill a quarter of a million job vacancies and yet there’s a huge untapped market of eager would-be employees: 1.2 million people with disabilities who want to work now, given the right support,’ he added.

Shaw Trust, which campaigns to remove the barriers that keep people out of work, helped over 40,700 people last year alone.

It also specialises in Recruitment, Retention and Condition Management services, and continues to support both employee and employer after the job contract is signed.