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Lord Freud’s comments about disabled people ‘deeply distressing’, says Clegg Lord Freud’s comments about disabled people ‘deeply distressing’, says Clegg
(about 1 hour later)
The claim by the welfare minister Lord Freud that someone who has mental health problems or is disabled may be worth paying just £2 an hour was “deeply distressing and offensive to people”, the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has said. The claim by the welfare minister Lord Freud that someone who has mental health problems or is disabled may be worth paying just £2 an hour was “deeply distressing and offensive to people”, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, has said.
Speaking on LBC’s Call Clegg radio show, he said: “What is wrong is to say someone is worth less than someone else in society. The law is the law: you have got to pay the minimum wage.Speaking on LBC’s Call Clegg radio show, he said: “What is wrong is to say someone is worth less than someone else in society. The law is the law: you have got to pay the minimum wage.
“If you are employing someone to do a full day’s work, you cannot … short change people or pay less.”“If you are employing someone to do a full day’s work, you cannot … short change people or pay less.”
Clegg said it was the word ‘worth’ that had touched a raw nerve with people. Clegg said it was the word “worth” that had touched a raw nerve with people. He did not call for Freud to be sacked. Liberal Democrats have said Conservative ministerial appointments are a matter for the prime minister.
Clegg did not call for Freud to be sacked. Liberal Democrats have said Conservative ministerial appointments are a matter for the prime minister. The deputy prime minister said there were difficult discussions to be had about how to encourage disabled people or those with mental health problems into work, but pointed to schemes such as Access to Work that were addressing the issue.
Clegg said there were difficult discussions to be had about how to encourage disabled people or those with mental health problems into work, but pointed to schemes such as Access to Work that were addressing the issue. Freud offered a “full and unreserved apology” after Ed Miliband revealed his remarks made at a fringe meeting at the recent Tory conference that some disabled people were “not worth” the minimum wage.
Lord Freud offered a “full and unreserved apology” after Ed Miliband revealed his remarks made at a fringe meeting at the recent Tory conference that some disabled people were “not worth” the minimum wage. The Labour party called for Freud to be sacked after he suggested that some people with mental disabilities could be paid as little as £2 an hour.
As the Labour party called for Freud to be sacked after he suggested that some people with mental disabilities could be paid as little as £2 an hour, the minister said it was “offensive” to suggest that anyone should be paid less than the minimum wage.
In a statement issued by the Department for Work and Pensions, Freud said: “I would like to offer a full and unreserved apology. I was foolish to accept the premise of the question. To be clear, all disabled people should be paid at least the minimum wage, without exception, and I accept that it is offensive to suggest anything else.In a statement issued by the Department for Work and Pensions, Freud said: “I would like to offer a full and unreserved apology. I was foolish to accept the premise of the question. To be clear, all disabled people should be paid at least the minimum wage, without exception, and I accept that it is offensive to suggest anything else.
“I care passionately about disabled people. I am proud to have played a full part in a government that is fully committed to helping disabled people overcome the many barriers they face in finding employment. I am profoundly sorry for any offence I have caused to any disabled people.”“I care passionately about disabled people. I am proud to have played a full part in a government that is fully committed to helping disabled people overcome the many barriers they face in finding employment. I am profoundly sorry for any offence I have caused to any disabled people.”
Freud issued his statement after Mencap called on him to consider his position and Downing Street distanced itself from the minister by saying there could be no exceptions to the minimum wage.Freud issued his statement after Mencap called on him to consider his position and Downing Street distanced itself from the minister by saying there could be no exceptions to the minimum wage.
Esther McVey, a fellow DWP minister, said the remarks would “haunt” Freud. Speaking on the Daily Politics on BBC2, McVey said: “Those words will haunt him. I cannot justify those words. They were wrong. We have the minimum wage. Everybody has the minimum wage. We have done a lot to support people with disabilities.” Speaking on the Daily Politics on BBC2, Esther McVey, a fellow DWP minister, said: “Those words will haunt [Freud]. I cannot justify those words. They were wrong. We have the minimum wage. Everybody has the minimum wage. We have done a lot to support people with disabilities.”
McVey spoke out after Miliband disclosed the remarks by Freud in answer to a question at the recent Tory conference in Birmingham about paying the minimum wage to disabled people. Around 100,000 disabled people are paid the minimum wage. The Labour leader quoted Freud as saying to his questioner at the fringe meeting: “You make a really good point about the disabled. There is a group where actually, as you say, they’re not worth the full wage.” McVey spoke out after Miliband disclosed the remarks by Freud in answer to a question at the recent Tory conference in Birmingham about paying the minimum wage to disabled people. About 100,000 disabled people are paid the minimum wage. The Labour leader quoted Freud as saying to his questioner at the fringe meeting: “You make a really good point about the disabled. There is a group where actually, as you say, they’re not worth the full wage.”
Asked by Miliband whether that was his view, the prime minister said: “No, absolutely not. Of course disabled people should be paid the minimum wage and the minimum wage under this government is going up and going up in real terms. It is now at £6.50. We will be presenting our evidence to the low pay commission, calling for another real-terms increase in the minimum wage.”But Freud was offered some support when David Scott, a Conservative councillor from Tunbridge Wells whose question prompted his remarks, said the discussion was about helping vulnerable people into the workplace. Asked by Miliband whether that was his view, the prime minister said: “No, absolutely not. Of course disabled people should be paid the minimum wage and the minimum wage under this government is going up and going up in real terms. It is now at £6.50. We will be presenting our evidence to the Low Pay Commission, calling for another real-terms increase in the minimum wage.”But Freud was offered some support when David Scott, a Conservative councillor from Tunbridge Wells whose question prompted his remarks, said the discussion was about helping vulnerable people into the workplace.
Scott told The World at One: “I was wanting to explore [with Freud] how to help some very vulnerable people in the community and to find ways that these individuals could actually get greater self-worth and be introduced to the workplace to help them … The sentiment is quite clearly that he was concerned: how do we help these individuals to enter the workplace so they can feel they are adding something and gaining worth.”Scott told The World at One: “I was wanting to explore [with Freud] how to help some very vulnerable people in the community and to find ways that these individuals could actually get greater self-worth and be introduced to the workplace to help them … The sentiment is quite clearly that he was concerned: how do we help these individuals to enter the workplace so they can feel they are adding something and gaining worth.”
In the full text, released by the Labour party, Freud was quoted as saying to Scott at the fringe meeting: “You make a really good point about the disabled. Now I had not thought through, and we have not got a system for, you know, kind of going below the minimum wage.In the full text, released by the Labour party, Freud was quoted as saying to Scott at the fringe meeting: “You make a really good point about the disabled. Now I had not thought through, and we have not got a system for, you know, kind of going below the minimum wage.
“But we do have … you know, universal credit is really useful for people with the fluctuating conditions who can do some work – go up and down – because they can earn and get … and get, you know, bolstered through universal credit, and they can move that amount up and down.“But we do have … you know, universal credit is really useful for people with the fluctuating conditions who can do some work – go up and down – because they can earn and get … and get, you know, bolstered through universal credit, and they can move that amount up and down.
“Now, there is a small … there is a group, and I know exactly who you mean, where actually as you say they’re not worth the full wage and actually I’m going to go and think about that particular issue, whether there is something we can do nationally, and without distorting the whole thing, which actually if someone wants to work for £2 an hour, and it’s working can we actually…”“Now, there is a small … there is a group, and I know exactly who you mean, where actually as you say they’re not worth the full wage and actually I’m going to go and think about that particular issue, whether there is something we can do nationally, and without distorting the whole thing, which actually if someone wants to work for £2 an hour, and it’s working can we actually…”
Scott had said: “The other area I’m really concerned about is obviously the disabled. I have a number of mentally damaged individuals, who to be quite frank aren’t worth the minimum wage, but want to work. And we have been trying to support them in work, but you can’t find people who are willing to pay the minimum wage.Scott had said: “The other area I’m really concerned about is obviously the disabled. I have a number of mentally damaged individuals, who to be quite frank aren’t worth the minimum wage, but want to work. And we have been trying to support them in work, but you can’t find people who are willing to pay the minimum wage.
“We had a young man who was keen to do gardening; now the only way we managed to get him to work was actually setting up a company for him, because as a director in a company we didn’t have to pay the minimum wage, we could actually give him the earnings from that. But trying to maintain his support and allow him to work, which he wanted to do, so to stay with benefits, and stay with some way of managing to continue on in that way. And I think yes, those are marginal areas but they are critical of actually keeping people who want to work supported in that process. And it’s how do you deal with those sort of cases?”“We had a young man who was keen to do gardening; now the only way we managed to get him to work was actually setting up a company for him, because as a director in a company we didn’t have to pay the minimum wage, we could actually give him the earnings from that. But trying to maintain his support and allow him to work, which he wanted to do, so to stay with benefits, and stay with some way of managing to continue on in that way. And I think yes, those are marginal areas but they are critical of actually keeping people who want to work supported in that process. And it’s how do you deal with those sort of cases?”