Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring has responded to House of Lords vote on Employment Support Allowance.

Wednesday 01 February 2012

Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring has responded to the news that MPs have voted down House of Lords changes to reduce entitlements to Employment Support Allowance. We are extremely disappointed by the Government's rejection of the Lord’s amendments, and failure to listen to the concerns of disabled people and their families, says Goldring.

Mencap chief executive responds to the Government’s rejection of the ESA amendments made by the House of Lords to the Welfare Reform Bill.

Mark Goldring, Mencap’s chief executive, said:

"We are extremely disappointed by the Government's rejection of the Lord’s amendments, and failure to listen to the concerns of disabled people and their families.

Putting in placing arbitrary time limits is nothing more than a cost saving measure which ignores the needs and challenges which many people with a disability face when trying to find employment."

Contact Pasca Lane in the Mencap media team on 020 7696 6017 or email pasca.lane@mencap.org.uk

• About Mencap

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability and their families and carers by fighting to change laws and improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

We are also one of the largest providers of services, information and advice for people with a learning disability across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. People with a learning disability and their carers can find out more about our services by calling Mencap Direct on 0300 333 111 or by visiting www.mencap.org.uk

• What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complex information and interact with other people.

The level of support someone needs depends on individual factors, including the severity of their learning disability.