Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to improve (a) pay and (b) employment opportunities for disabled people.
The government is committed to building an economy that works for everyone. Through the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW) the Government protects the lowest paid within our society, including disabled workers – who are explicitly listed as a group entitled to the correct minimum wage: https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage/who-gets-the-minimum-wage
If any worker believes that they might have been underpaid, they can contact Acas for free and confidential help and advice, on 0300 123 1100, or submit a complaint direct to HMRC online using the link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints
Government has the ambition of getting 1 million more disabled people in to work. On 30 November 2017 we published Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability, which lays out our strategy for achieving this ambition by improving both employment opportunities and retention in work for people with disabilities and health conditions.
Our policies are designed to ensure that disabled people can access the labour market, get the support they need and progress in their careers. For example: