§ 38. Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the existing unemployment rate for the registered disabled, and on the Government's policy towards the expansion of sheltered workshops.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:The proportion of those people who have chosen to register under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, 1944, who were unemployed on 13th March was 14.9 per cent. The Government's policy on the provision of sheltered workshops for severely disabled people continues to be one of gradual expansion.
§ 41. Mr. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Employment what increase there has been in the number of registered disabled persons registering as unemployed in Scotland since June, 1970.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clark:Between 8th June, 1970, and 13th March, 1972, the number of unemployed registered disabled people in Scotland rose by 2,618 to 11,117.
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§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of firms in the South-East Region fails to employ their 3 per cent. quota of disabled persons.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:64 per cent. in my Department's Eastern and Southern Region and 64.5 per cent. in its London and South Eastern Region.
§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many car parks fail to employ only disabled persons; if he is satisfied with the working system of granting exemptions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:This information is not readily available. Under the Disabled Persons (Designated Employment) Order, 1946, employment as a car park attendant on specified duties is reserved for registered disabled persons. Permission for the employment of anyone other than a registered disabled person on these duties is given by my Department only when our officers have confirmed that no suitable registered disabled person is available. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the system works effectively.
§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of unemployed registered disabled persons, both in figures and expressed as a percentage of the total disabled work force.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:On 13th March, 1972, 92,781 or 14.9 per cent. of those registered under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, 1944, were unemployed. As registration is voluntary, the total disabled work force is not known.
§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions there have been since the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, 1944, was introduced against employers failing to comply with statutory requirements in this field.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:Five employers have been prosecuted for infringements of the provisions of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, 1944.
§ Mr. Moneyasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs were found by his Department for registered 72W disabled persons in the Ipswich area during each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:Figures are not available for exact calendar months, but the totals for the statistical periods most nearly approximating to calendar months are as follows:
Dates included Registered Disabled persons in Ipswich placed in employment 1st April, 1971–5th May, 1971 7 6th May-9th June 10 10th June-4th July 5 8th July-4th August 5 5th August-8th September 5 9th September-6th October 6 7th October-3rd November 10 4th November-1st December 11 2nd December, 1971-5th January,1972 11 6th January-9th February 6 10th February-8th March 1 9th March-5th April 7
§ Mr. Moneyasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered disabled persons were unemployed in the Ipswich area at the last date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:On 13th March, 1972, 115 people registered under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts were unemployed in the Ipswich Employment Exchange area.