HC Deb 10 July 1973 vol 859 cc1241-3
8. Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has yet decided on whether to change the quota system for the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Dudley Smith

No, Sir. The decision will be taken in the light of comments on the consultative document, which asks for considered views by the end of this year.

Mr. Ashley

Does the Minister agree that, although the quota system is a relative failure, the interests of disabled people would be damaged if it were scrapped and they were thrown on the mercy of employers many of whom are prejudiced against them? Will the Minister assure the House that both the register and the quota system will be maintained until he can find a way of ensuring that all employers either provide jobs or pay an equivalent contribution?

Mr. Smith

Reference to grants and subsidies was included in the document at the specific instance of the hon. Gentleman, and we are grateful for his views. I assure him that the procedure will not be scrapped in advance of our decision. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the whole subject is in the melting pot in consequence of the consultative document. All the options are open, from stricter enforcement to other possible measures. We want to get the best possible deal for disabled people. We also want comments and criticisms from all sides—not merely from the House of Commons—and I am glad that we are getting them.

Mr. David Price

Will my hon. Friend consider in his deliberations on the Green Paper the possibility of extending the Queen's Award to Industry to an element in terms of the employment of the disabled? That would be a positive encouragement.

Mr. Smith

That is an interesting suggestion. We are open to suggestions, and I will consider what my hon. Friend says. We need extra incentives for employers to carry out their duties to disabled people, but we should not underestimate the value of the work done by the vast majority of employers. They do it with a clear conscience and willingly.

Mr. Harold Walker

I remind the hon. Gentleman that, in contrast to the way in which the Government have treated the House in connection with the Robens Report, we shall expect an adequate opportunity to debate the consultative document before the Government reach firm conclusions.

Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that an employer within the scope of the quota system who fails to fulfil his quota and does not seek the permission of the Department to do so is in breach of the law and committing an offence? If so, will he tell the House what he proposes to do about the 9,000 firms which are in clear breach of the law in this respect?

Mr. Smith

The hon. Gentleman knows—we have had this out before—that it is not my responsibility to find time for a debate, but I will convey what he says to my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House.

The hon. Gentleman referred to 9,000 firms. It is not the time to initiate a witch-hunt against firms which are probably in technical breach when we are to decide shortly what is to be the new policy for the employment of disabled people. The firms are not named in a list. They are detected from time to time by our experts as they go round. When failings are discovered they are pointed out. I have made special inquiries and in nearly every case where this has been discovered it is a matter of omission or ignorance rather than of deliberate policy. There has been a ready response by the people concerned, and we are making steady progress.