HL Deb 22 March 1988 vol 495 c95

1 Clause 17, page 14, line 17, at beginning insert ("Subject to the provisions of sections 18 and (Questions relevant to code of Practice on Employment of Disabled),").

2 After Clause 18, insert the following new clause:

("Questions relevant to Code of Good Practice on, Employment of Disabled.

—(1) Nothing in section 17 above shall preclude a local authority from—

  1. (a) asking questions seeking information relating to workforce matters and considering responses to them, or
  2. (b) referring prospective contractors to relevant agencies.
if, as the case may be, consideration of the information, is reasonably necessary to ensure that contractors have due regard to the Manpower Services Commission Code of Good Practice on the Employment of Disabled People.").

(2) In this section "relevant agencies" shall be defined as those bodies with statutory responsibility for the promotion of disabled people's employment and the Manpower Services Commission Code of Good Practice on the Employment of Disabled People,").

3 The Commons disagreed to the above amendments for the following reason—

Because these amendments are at variance with the principle that local and other public authorities should not take account of non-commercial matters in the contractual process except where they are acting in pursuance of an existing statutory duty.