"DIFFICULTIES OF THE HEARING IMPAIRED FALL ON DEAF EARS" - BURT

3.12.38pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 9th Jun 2008

Solihull MP and Liberal Democrat Small Business Spokesperson, Lorely Burt today hit out at the government for failing to provide enough support for deaf people to gain employment.

Figures show that a deaf or hard of hearing person is two-and-a-half times more likely to be unemployed than a hearing person, and that employers are eight times more likely to employ a person with a criminal record than to employ a deaf person.

In addition, there are currently only 395 interpreters fluent in British Sign Language (BSL) across the UK, with 53 registered in the West Midlands. There is no government funding available to help support the £15,000 cost of becoming a BSL interpreter. Yet in response to a parliamentary question, government minister Stephen Timms painted a rosy picture of the support available.

Commenting, Lorely Burt said:

"It is outrageous that the government is so blasé about the provision of support to help deaf people into employment when it is clear that it is not having the desired effect.

"Its all well and good ministers saying the 'Access to Work' programme will provide funds for an interpreter and other support when the deaf person is in work, but if it won't fund an interpreter for the job interview, it makes it almost impossible for a deaf person to get into work in the first place.

"If the government is serious about hitting its target of taking 1 million people off incapacity benefit by 2015, then it must do much more to prevent deaf people being left behind."