Protests at delay to easy-read paper

Campaigners have slammed the government’s failure to make the welfare reform green paper accessible to people with learning difficulties.

The paper has not been issued in easy-to-read format since it was published a fortnight ago and this week the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) admitted it would “take a while” to produce.

The production of Braille and large-print versions has also been delayed.

Jo Williams, chief executive of Mencap, said: “The government says it wants to start a national debate on welfare reform, but it is leaving out people with a learning difficulty, the disabled group most excluded from the workforce. How are people supposed to respond to a consultation document they can’t read?”

She said the consultation, which is due to end on 21 April, should be extended for people waiting for an accessible version, but the DWP could not confirm whether this would happen.

In the past, the government has come under fire for similar delays in producing easy-to-read versions of the Equality Bill and the Mental Capacity Bill (now Act).

 

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