§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Labour (1) what is the present policy of his Department regarding the training of disabled and blind persons in workshop trades;
(2) what steps he has taken to introduce new trades for disabled and blind persons, specifying the trades and the centres where they are to be taught.
§ Mr. HareI take it that the hon. Member is referring to blind and other disabled persons employed in sheltered workshops. The trades in which these workshops are engaged are a matter for the workshop management, subject to my approval. A wide variety of work is provided, though in workshops for the blind the trades followed are chiefly traditional hand-crafts. A working party has been set up to consider the problems of the workshops for the blind, including the kinds of work which they should undertake in the future, and I am expecting its report later this year. It is the policy of my Department that disabled persons requiring sheltered employment should receive any necessary training in the workshop where they are to be employed.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Labour what representations have been made to him from local authorities regarding approval for the construction of sheltered workshops for the disabled; what assistance and guidance he is giving in this matter; and how many local authorities have developed such projects with his approval.
§ Mr. HareA number of local authorities have under consideration plans for the construction or extension of sheltered workshops for the disabled. I am prepared to assist such projects with advice and by means of capital grants where necessary. I have recently increased the maximum annual grant payable to local authorities in respect of the running costs of such workshops. There are now 27 workshops for the blind provided directly by local authorities, of which 16 also admit severely disabled sighted persons; 40 workshops for the blind are provided by voluntary bodies acting as agents for local authorities, of which 14 also admit severely disabled sighted persons; seven workshops for severely disabled32W sighted persons are provided directly by local authorities, and seven such workshops provided by voluntary bodies act as agents for local authorities.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Labour how many disabled persons in Barnsley and district have made it known to his Department that they are in need of specialised training and employment; and what steps he is taking to help them.
§ Mr. HareDuring the past twelve months nineteen disabled persons in the Barnsley area have applied for training for ordinary employment and six for admission to a sheltered workshop. Of the applicants for training for ordinary employment, fifteen have been accepted, one has been rejected and three are under consideration. Of the applicants for sheltered employment two (including one blind person) have been accepted and four (including three blind persons) rejected.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Labour why it is not possible for disabled and blind persons in the Barnsley area, who are in need of special training for blind trades, to attend the Leeds training centre.
§ Mr. HareWork in the trades for which training is provided at the Leeds Workshop for the Blind is not available in the Barnsley area nor is it likely to be in the future. As the hon. Member knows, plans have been approved for a new and larger workshop to replace the existing one at Barnsley, which is full.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Labour what is the total number of disabled persons at present in need of employment; and how many of them have received training.
§ Mr. HareOn 16th April 52,497 registered disabled persons were unemployed; a special inquiry carried out in August, 1961, showed that about 5,300 out of some 44,800 registered disabled persons then unemployed had received training for a skilled trade at some time. About 83 per cent. of the registered disabled persons covered by the Survey were considered unsuitable for any form of training either because of inadequate educational qualifications, inability to meet the required standard of physical 33W or mental fitness or because their qualifications were unsatisfactory in other ways.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Labour what trades for disabled and blind persons are at present taught in the Leeds and Sheffield workshops; to what extent a change to new trades is planned for these workshops; and whether it is then visualised that disabled and blind persons from Barnsley area in need of trade training will be accepted.
§ Mr. HareThe Leeds and Sheffield Workshops for the Blind provide employment, and training preparatory to such employment, mainly in basket-making, brush-making, mat-making, machine knitting, and, at Leeds, wire-work. I am not aware of any plans to introduce new trades at present and, therefore, the last part of the Question does not arise.