§ 5. Mr. Gordon Marsden (Blackpool, South)What meetings she plans to have with the Disability Rights Commission to discuss the implications of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 for the civil service. [139179]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr. Graham Stringer)There are no meetings scheduled at present. The civil service's equal opportunities policy takes account of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Government are keen to ensure that disabled people can play their full part as employees of Departments. A new civil service-wide network for disabled people is being launched today by Sir Richard Wilson, head of the home civil service. The Disability Rights Commission will attend that launch.
§ Mr. MarsdenI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. I am encouraged by his remarks about the activities and initiatives. Does he agree that access to employment and employment buildings is a key issue for disabled people? As more than 10,000 civil service employees are concentrated in Blackpool and the Fylde, but are fragmented across a number of agencies, will my hon. Friend use his best offices to ensure that they co-operate and work effectively on the matter, and do not become bogged down in turf wars?
§ Mr. StringerIn answering the question, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his work in this connection. He has done a great deal of work in his constituency to help disabled people.
It is obvious that fair access to employment cannot exist if disabled people cannot enter the employment buildings. The Government and the Cabinet Office have a check-off system to ensure that Government buildings are adapted 953 to provide access for disabled people. No. 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office have both been made accessible to them.
§ Mr. SpeakerBefore Prime Minister's Question Time, let me remind the House to pay attention to what I said last week about behaviour during Prime Minister's questions.