HC Deb 26 March 1970 vol 798 c471W
Mr. Marten

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why the percentage of disabled staff in his Department is below 3 per cent.

Mr. Edward Short

There is a combination of factors here, including the comparatively small number of industrial staff required by the Department's work, and a decline in the number of suitable applicants registered as disabled. Even so, the percentage of registered disabled persons on the staff of the Department is only slightly below the average for the Civil Service as a whole and has recently increased. Standing instructions require especially sympathetic consideration to be given to disabled applicants for posts.