---

Remploy

My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement. It will mean that more Remploy factories can stay open through better marketing and procurement of Remploy products. We welcome that, but clearly no Government can give a blank cheque to keep factories open indefinitely where they have no realistic long-term prospect of paying their way in the face of low-cost competition in low-value-added activities from the Far East. That has frankly been the problem for many of the Remploy factories. We therefore agree that promoting mainstream employment must be the right way to deliver independent living, and expanding Remploy’s successful programmes is the right way to do that. Can the Minister confirm that the expansion of Remploy’s inter-work programme to help 20,000 people into mainstream work every year will still go ahead? The noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, rightly referred to the extremely ambitious targets, as the Secretary of State calls them. His letter to Paul Kenny of the GMB, referring to both extremely ambitious targets for sales and stretching procurement targets, feels rather like Sir Humphrey in ““Yes Minister”” saying ““Very bold”” to some scheme that he thinks looks frankly pretty wild. So while it is a nice surprise to hear extreme ambition from the DWP for a change, what is going to happen if the targets are not met? Will the priority be retaining factories or helping many more disabled people into work? Will the Secretary of State provide additional support for Remploy if it needs it to meet its target of 20,000 people? Today’s Statement is still a real shock to the current Remploy workforce, often working, it is fair to say, in a happy family atmosphere, many of them for many years, in factories to be closed. That is like a bereavement. We should always remember that work is not just about money; it is people’s lives. There is also quite a strong regional dimension to this. One just has to listen to the Minister reading out the list of factories to be closed: Lydney, Glasgow Hillington, St Helen’s, Treforest, Ystradgynlais and Brynamman. Many of them are in areas where it will not be easy for people to get another job, and unfortunately I am afraid that we again see the complete failure of government economic policy, with so much economic activity and growth over the past 10 years going on in the overheated south-east. Over what time period will the closures be phased? How long with the affected employees have to find alternative employment? Is there additional capacity to help provide the counselling and skill-focused help needed for workers in these areas? As the Statement said, the announcement cannot be isolated from wider policies for helping people into work, but will the Government put their money where their mouth is on the procurement proposals? It is all very well to have an ambitious target, and we know the DWP has done its stuff on this, but many departments have not followed the DWP; indeed, many are using no Remploy products or services. What will happen to encourage Cabinet colleagues to improve on that record and set an example for the public sector? The Government have a responsibility to help all disabled people into work. Until they really get on with it, the warm words of reassurance we have been hearing will bring cold comfort to disabled people, including thousands of loyal and long-standing employees of Remploy.