MP for St Helens South and Whiston, Marie Rimmer has condemned the Government’s failure on support for disabled jobseekers.

During Treasury Questions, the MP, who is also a member of the Autism Parliamentary Group, grilled the Chancellor over planned cuts to the new Work and Health Programme, designed to support disabled people in returning to employment.

The new programme will receive 80 per cent less per year with just £130million in comparison to £730million in 2013 and 14.

Figures released by the National Autistic Society highlight that just 16 per cent of autistic people are currently in full time employment.

Ms Rimmer said: “With just one in six people with autism in employment, would it not have been better to invest in improving the Work and Health Programme, rather than cutting it, to assist people to gain employment and thereby save on benefits? They want to work.

“Despite the Government’s rhetoric, the fact remains that they are failing to meet their targets on the disability employment gap, particularly for those with autism.

“There are five million disabled people in this country living in poverty. Far too many disabled residents find themselves in low paid, part time, insecure employment that does nothing to help them get on.

“Instead of slashing the funding for the Work and Health Programme, the Government must invest in disabled people.

“Support should be there for all those who are able to return to work whilst ensuring a strong safety net is in place for those who cannot.”

In response, treasury minister David Gauke MP claimed that the number of disabled people in employment had risen in the past three years, however, analysis from the Trades Union Congress found that the government is behind schedule on their manifesto commitments to half the disability employment gap by 2020.

The research forecast that, by 2020 just 52 per cent of disabled people will be in work, 11 per cent less than the government promised.