6 October 2025
SDLP Communities Spokesperson Mark H Durkan MLA has welcomed the publication of the draft Disability and Work Strategy but warned that the strategy will only succeed if it includes concrete commitments to improve access to community rehabilitation services across Northern Ireland.
Speaking following the Minister for Communities announcement in the Assembly earlier today, Foyle MLA Mr Durkan said:
“This is an extremely important piece of work and I hope its co-design is meaningful and that disabled people and representative organisations are actually listened to and heard, unlike how many involved in the co design process of the Anti-Poverty Strategy have felt.
“However, a Disability and Work Strategy cannot succeed without timely access to high-quality rehabilitation between illness or disability and employability. It enables people to manage long-term conditions and regain or sustain work.
“Currently too many people with manageable conditions are left without the physiotherapy, vocational rehabilitation or the occupational health support they need. This strategy cannot work if we are only addressing the symptoms, not the causes of economic inactivity.
“To make this strategy work, we need to see the Department of Health publishing the long-awaited Community Rehabilitation Framework alongside this piece of work. Co-operation between the departments of health and communities is essential if we are serious about closing the disability employment gap and building a fairer, more inclusive economy.
“I’ll continue to press the Ministers and the wider Executive to ensure the necessary resources are secured to deliver this strategy in full.”