Opened the debate
I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my proud membership of Unison. Before being elected, I was the national officer for disability equality at the country’s biggest trade union, Unison. Employers have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, but almost three quarters of disabled workers are turned down or ignored by their employers when requesting such adjustments. This Bill aims to set a clear deadline for employers to respond to requests for reasonable adjustments. Currently, there is no legal timeframe for employers to reply, which leads to disabled people being pushed out of good jobs and on to benefits. The disability employment gap stands at 29 percentage points between the percentage of disabled people in employment versus non-disabled people. Labour’s plan will give disabled people who want to work the help they need through investments such as the Employment Rights Bill and a £1.8 billion investment into employment support.