HL Deb 15 January 1990 vol 514 cc415-7

3.4 p.m.

Baroness Turner of Camden asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are satisfied that sufficient resources are available to Training and Enterprise Councils to provide special training for disabled people to enable them to secure employment; and what steps are being taken to ensure this.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Employment (Lord Strathclyde)

My Lords, Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) will have responsibility for improving arrangements for training in their areas and will have substantial and sufficient resources for this task. As part of that, each TEC will be required to set out how it intends to provide in its business plan for the needs of people with disabilities. That will form the basis of its contract with the Secretary of State for Employment.

Baroness Turner of Camden

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that response, which is encouraging. On the other hand, is he aware that training disabled people is an expensive, though very worthwhile, process? In fact I understand that it can cost as much as between £10,000 and £20,000 a year to train a badly disabled person. Would it not be a good idea to have a national TEC with that kind of responsibility, able to co-ordinate and with specialist resources and specialist personnel to carry out that task?

Lord Strathclyde

My Lords, superficially the proposal of the noble Baroness is attractive, but the whole idea of the TECs is that they are locally responsive and flexible to local training requirements. I believe that the employment opportunities of people with disabilities will best be served by having training provision made for them by TECs at a local level.

Lord Mellish

My Lords, is the Minister aware that the training board for the construction industry is probably one of the most efficient in the country? Can he tell us what, if anything, it does about training disabled people, recognising that disablement more often than not comes from employment in the building trade? I refer to those disabled who are confined to a wheelchair but who can in fact carry on working. What is done to help them retain their position?

Lord Strathclyde

My Lords, I am not sure what the construction industry training board does to help people with disabilities. The Question deals with Training and Enterprise Councils. However, I agree with the noble Lord that people with very severe disabilities—people in wheelchairs—can play a full and very valuable part in the whole economy.

Lord Dormand of Easington

My Lords, will the Minister confirm that throughout the whole of England there are only 39 groups of employers who receive development funding and that means that there are very wide areas of the country in which no training at all is conducted? That affects particularly the disabled in the way that my noble friend described. When will the Government do something about setting up TECs throughout the whole country and when are they likely to complete the programme?

Lord Strathclyde

My Lords, I am sorry to disappoint the noble Lord. The figure is not 39; 51 groups have been awarded development funding as of 18th December last year. That is out of a total of about 85. There has been an excellent response from employers. We are two years ahead of schedule and the first TECs will start operating early next year. That will help all people to get training for jobs.

Baroness Turner of Camden

My Lords, considering his earlier reply, perhaps I may come back to the Minister and ask him, in view of his statement that local activity is all important, whether TECs have been urged to establish contacts with their local committees on the employment of disabled people or other local groups concerned with the disabled.

Lord Strathclyde

Yes, my Lords. The noble Baroness will be pleased to hear that TECs are being greatly encouraged to negotiate and consult with their local committees for employment of disabled people. The Department of Employment will be monitoring the situation over the coming years to make sure that training provision is adequately given.

Lord Dormand of Easington

My Lords, perhaps I may come back to the Minister a second time. He said that he had disappointed me. He only disappoints me because the figure that he gave is grossly at odds with the Written Answer that I had from him two weeks ago.

Lord Strathclyde

My Lords, that was written two weeks ago. The new figure is 51. It might have been 39 then, but it is 51 now.

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