Disability charities criticise Chancellor for ‘incredibly harmful’ remarks

08 Dec 2017 News

Philip Hammond, Chancellor

Charities have criticised comments made by the Chancellor Philip Hammond whereby he implied that an increase in disabled workers had led to lower productivity in the UK.

Giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday, Hammond said: “By increasing participation in the workforce, including far higher levels of participation by marginal groups, for example of disabled people, something we should be extremely proud of, we may have had an impact on the overall productivity measurements.”

Scope called on Hammond to “apologise and retract his factually inaccurate and incredibly harmful accusation”.

Then yesterday, its chief executive Mark Atkinson wrote to Prime Minister Theresa May, asking her to clarify whether Hammond’s comments represented a change in the government’s recently announced policy to get a million more disabled people back to work.

Atkinson’s letter refutes Hammond’s comments, saying: “Statistically and historically, the correlation between increases in productivity and disability employment have gone hand-in-hand.

“It has never been the case that increasing the number of disabled people in employment has had a harmful effect on productivity levels.

“In no study, projection or analysis released by the Office for Budget Responsibility, who have looked at the issue of productivity extensively, has disability employment been referenced as key driver of low productivity.”

“I am confident that you will understand the adverse impact yesterday’s derogatory comments will have on disabled people’s chances of entering and staying in work,” he adds.

Other charities including Mencap, United Response and Action on Hearing Loss also criticised Hammond’s remarks.

Ismail Kaji, Mencap’s parliamentary affairs assistant, said in a statement that Hammond’s comments were “not acceptable for someone in his position”.

He said: “To make claims about 12 million people in the UK and not show evidence is unacceptable. The employment rate for people with a learning disability is just 5.8 per cent and getting lower. For Phillip Hammond to say something like this with no evidence is only going to make this worse.”

Tim Cooper, chief executive of United Response, said: “We are shocked and extremely disappointed by the Chancellor’s comments, which come just one week after the government pledged to increase the numbers of people with disabilities in work.

“The Chancellor’s derogatory remarks serve only to marginalise this already disenfranchised group further from the workplace.

“We urge the Chancellor to apologise for his comments immediately and show real commitment to the Government’s ambition of supporting greater numbers of people with disabilities into work.”

Action on Hearing Loss’s chief executive Paul Breckell said: “Our research shows that employer attitudes are the main barrier faced by people with deafness and hearing loss in the workplace, and Philip Hammond’s frankly insulting comments serve only to perpetuate this problem.

“Not only are his comments derogatory, but they are also fundamentally untrue. Lower absenteeism and better retention rates, achieved through providing support and accessible environments, increase the productivity of employees with disabilities and the value they have to their employers.”

 

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