HC Deb 29 January 1970 vol 794 cc1706-7
30. Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will now investigate the effects of selective employment tax on the unemployment of people on the Disabled Persons Register.

Mr. Dell

Investigations which have been carried out by my Department on a number of occasions have not shown any connection between the incidence of selective employment tax and unemployment among registered disabled persons.

Mr. Ashley

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the 10 per cent. disabled unemployed will be absolutely fascinated by those remarkable conclusions? Will he publish the nature and details of the survey so that they may study them?

Mr. Dell

I am certainly prepared to write to my hon. Friend giving him the information on which this is based.

Hon. Members

Publish it.

Mr. Dell

Between August, 1966, and August, 1969, the increase in the number of unemployed registered disabled persons in tax-bearing industries was less than that of all other unemployed persons.

Mr. John Page

Does the right hon. Gentleman's answer mean that the numbers of people on the Disabled Persons Register has gone up since the introduction of S.E.T.? If so, can he deny that S.E.T. has had some effect on the employment of disabled people?

Mr. Dell

The number of registered disabled persons has risen since S.E.T. was introduced, but there are many other factors involved in that increase in unemployment. We have no evidence of there being a connection between the two.