Disability office idea wins approval

Campaigners have welcomed government plans to create a new unit
to help departments co-ordinate and develop disability
policies.

John Knight, head of policy at disability charity Leonard Cheshire,
said that the Office for Disability Issues announced last week was
an “important development that has the potential to make a real
difference”.

The office would help enable better working between ministers and
civil servants from various departments and would look to involve
disabled people. It would also seek to focus government on
disability as a distinct subject.

“Policies from all government departments can affect disabled
people so having an office to co-ordinate policies and ensure
unified goals is extremely important,” Knight said.

The unit was proposed in last week’s Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit
report on disability services.

It would be “owned” and have its work planned by the departments of
health, work and pensions, education and skills, transport and the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

  • Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People from
    www.cabinet-office.gov.uk

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