DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (DRC-059) issued by The Government News
Network on 6 December 2007
Important progress
is already being made towards the government's goal of
equality for disabled people by 2025, the Office for Disability
Issues (ODI) reveals today in its second annual report to the
Prime Minister.
In the past year the ODI has:
* Set up Equality 2025, a new advisory body to government made up
of 23 members who are all disabled people. Equality 2025 acts as a
conduit for disabled people's voices to ensure that they
influence policy and service delivery design at an early stage.
* Led the cross-government Independent Living Review which has
worked extensively with disabled people to find ways of improving
opportunities and support for disabled people. An expert panel
including disabled people and chaired by Baroness Jane Campbell
was set up to shape and steer the review. The Independent Living
Review will publish a cross government five-year strategy to give
disabled people choice and control over the support they need to
go about their daily lives, in early 2008.
* Coordinated the signing of the UN Convention on Disability
Rights on behalf of the UK. The Convention covers areas such as
the right to life, access to justice, personal mobility, health,
education and work.
* Developed an initial set of measures of progress towards
equality for disabled people, following consultation with disabled
people, published as an annex to this report.
* Commissioned the Office for National Statistics to develop
plans for a longitudinal disability survey of Great Britain. This
will track the experiences of disabled people over time to see
what happens at the key points of becoming disabled, moving from
childhood to adulthood and in and out of work.
Across government, crucial steps include:
* the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement of an additional
£2.6bn by 2010/11 to enable social services to build on progress
already made towards 'personalisation' - services that
give users and their carers greater choice and control over the
way in which their needs are met. An additional £190m by 2010/11
is also being provided for social care through the Department of Health.
* the 'Aiming higher for disabled children: better support
for families' programme and investment of £340m in the period
2008-11, to help improve the situations of disabled children and
their families.
* the new Equalities Public Service Agreement, covering the
period 2008-11, which focuses on reducing inequalities for
individuals on the basis of gender, race, disability, age, sexual
orientation, and religion or belief.
Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People, said:
"In this past year the ODI and key government departments
have made good progress on the journey to equality for disabled
people. But there's a long way to go, and we must keep up the
pace. Early next year, the ODI will launch an independent living
strategy aiming to give disabled people more choice and control
over the services and support they need. And I have asked my
officials to secure ratification of the UN Convention on
Disability Rights by the end of 2008."
Notes to Editors
1.The ODI Annual Report 2007 is available in PDF, RTF, audio and
Easy Read formats at http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk
, and hard copies of these formats plus Braille are available on
request from the Office for Disability Issues:
Email: office-for-disability-issues@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone:
020 7962 8799
Textphone: 020 7712 2032
Address: Office for
Disability Issues, 6th floor Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street,
London WC2N 6HT
2.There are two annexes that accompany this report, both of which
are available from the ODI website in PDF and RTF formats: Annex
1: Performance on 'Life Chances' recommendations; Annex
2: Indicators data. The ODI welcomes feedback on any part of this
report, by any of the means given above.
3.The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) was established to help
government deliver on the promise made in the report,
'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People' - that
by 2025, disabled people should have the same opportunities and
choices as non-disabled people, and be respected and included as
equal members of society. It reports annually to the Prime
Minister on progress in implementing the Life Chances report.
4.The ODI acts as a champion of disabled people within government
and works with all departments to help them better understand and
meet the needs and aspirations of disabled people.
Website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk
http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk
http://www.direct.gov.uk/disability
NEWS RELEASE