A small step forward for disabled workers

Last week in Parliament, I sponsored a vital and ground-breaking debate in the main chamber of the House of Commons, on the role of people with disabilities in growing our economy.

It was reported that this was one of the first times that disabled people were debated in Parliament as contributors to our economy, not as welfare recipients.

This in itself is shocking but the debate was very constructive with examples of entrepreneurs who have disabilities, leading professionals, skilled workers and a high level of small business start-ups.

The debate was important in raising awareness, changing attitudes and in Parliament fully acknowledging the talent and skills of this diverse workforce.

I have previously highlighted as chair of the Disability All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) that people with disabilities were not mentioned at all in the recent budget statement and that they were also missed out entirely from the white paper on the industrial strategy.

As chair of the Disability APPG, I have since been meeting with the No 10 policy unit and I am pleased that funding for apprenticeships schemes for people with disabilities has been agreed.

This is a small step in the right direction and I will continue to advocate for more initiatives. We must look past ‘disability’ to people’s abilities; to give them support and investment.

This will build a truly inclusive and diverse economy which is not just morally right but makes economic sense.

Scope estimated that reducing the disability employment gap by just 10 per cent would generate a further £12 billion for the Exchequer by 2030.

Our economy cannot afford to sit and wait. We must harness the skills and abilities of all of our citizens to create a progressive society.

Cancer strategy Last week I also led a debate in the main chamber on the 2020 cancer strategy.

I advocated for funding for prevention initiatives, early intervention, and research into more difficult to treat cancers such as pancreatic cancer where the mortality rate remains particularly poor.

I also took the opportunity to highlight the importance of funding for hospice care, including the vital work of our own Kilbryde Hospice.

I’m pleased that after writing to NHS Lanarkshire and the Scottish Government alongside others, our hospice will be opened to patients 24 hours – as patients and families require dignity at very difficult late stages of illness.

Cancer care must be holistic and involve emotional, financial, practical and medical supports.

We should be extremely proud that Kilbryde Hospice is a shining example of best practice in this respect. Mental health On the health select committee we continue our important inquiries into child and adolescent mental health and Brexit. We have heard compelling evidence that young people often fall out of service provision during transition to adult primary care adult and yet this may be one of their most vulnerable adjustment periods. We will be making recommendations that ensure young people do not fall between the gaps.

In relation to Brexit it is key that regulation for medications is agreed meaning there would be no additional difficulty in accessing the range of required medications that we currently have access to. This is a key issue that could impact upon vulnerable patient groups and patients treatment. It must be pushed to the forefront of the UK Government’s agenda.

Anti-social behaviour In our constituency, antisocial behaviour has been raised in my casework again. Noise complaints specifically have been at the forefront of constituents minds.

I have been working closely with the council and housing agencies to ensure that these complaints are resolved in a timely manner as it is particularly distressing for those who are affected.

Changing Places I was pleased to sign and to support the Changing Places campaign this week and the petition was then presented to the Prime Minister.

Changing Places toilets must be put onto a statutory footing to ensure that people with disabilities can have full independence in getting out and about.

Having access to a toilet in this day and age is, after all, a basic human right!

We must harness the skills and abilities of all of our citizens to create a progressive society...