Changes to the benefits system must recognise unique problems faced by people with HIV

NAT (National AIDS Trust) welcomes the Government’s plans to provide greater support to help people back into work. The Welfare Reform Bill presented to Parliament today is a key step in the Government’s welfare reform programme that aims to provide disabled people with greater assistance to find employment. 

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), comments:

‘The suggestion by Tory MP Philip Davies that disabled jobseekers might offer themselves for less than minimum wage just to get on the employment ladder is essentially advocating the discrimination people with disabilities so often experience when looking for a job. By making these comments it shows he recognises the barriers to work people with disabilities face. But rather than making allowances for this discrimination as he suggests, the Government should be working harder to tackle the problem at its source.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), comments:

‘The figures show a worrying increase in diagnoses of heterosexuals infected with HIV in the UK, so it is crucial for us to step up our efforts on public education and awareness to tackle this.  This is important not just among African communities who have high rates of HIV, but among the public more generally.