30 May 2008
The government's Pathways to Work programme has enabled 64,000 long-term unemployed people with disabilities or chronic illnesses to find work, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
A DWP study, published on May 27, says the England-wide scheme significantly improves the chances of people in these groups getting a job.
The project provides individuals with personal advisers drawn from the public, private and voluntary sectors. The researchers concluded that for every £1m spent on the pathways scheme, £1.5m was returned to the public purse through tax contributions and reduced benefits payments.
Employment minister Stephen Timms said: 'I am impressed by the success of the Pathways programme. It proves that with the right support we can make a difference, even with long-term benefits claimants, a group of people usually considered harder to help.'
Separately, the DWP said a scheme placing employment advisers in GPs' surgeries to help people on sickness and incapacity benefits was also proving a success.
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