HC Deb 09 May 1978 vol 949 cc467-71W
Mrs. Chalker

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many courses are run annually covering what number of students for those who are (a) registered blind and (b) registered disabled other than blind; and in what crafts and skills these courses are run, by region of college or skillcentre providing them.

Mr. John Grant

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission—MSC—that the information is not available in the form requested. An analysis of the kind requested could only be obtained

Mr. Golding

The following table gives estimates of the numbers of employees in employment in each of the employment office areas in Cheshire.

by special and costly computer runs. Even then the precise information would not be available. For example, the records do not differentiate between registered and non-registered blind trainees.

During 1977–78, 5,395 registered and non-registered disabled people were trained under the MSC's arrangements. Disabled people under the training able-bodied people under the training opportunities scheme—TOPS—which embraces over 500 courses run in skillcentres, colleges of further education, private colleges and employers' premises. Disabled people are also trained at residential training colleges at Durham, Exeter, Leatherhead and Mansfield in commercial, construction, engineering and other skills; they are trained on an individual basis with an employer prepared to employ them afterwards; and they are trained for professional qualifications.

Table A gives the number trained in 1977 by occupational groups in the various regions of the MSC's training services division and Table B the numbers trained in various institutions for the year to December 1976 and for the financial year 1976–77. These are the latest available figures.

TABLE A
NUMBERS OF DISABLED PEOPLE TRAINED IN 1977, BY OCCUPATIONAL GROUP AND BY TSD REGIONS OF THE MSC's TRAINING SERVICES DIVISION
Region
Course Grouping Scotland North-East North-West Midlands Wales and West South-East London Great Britain
Management 21 21 25 70 27 24 53 241
Management services 1 17 22 17 13 26 46 142
Education, welfare, health, Art etc. 1 18 12 10 18 14 9 82
Science and technology 5 14 14 4 8 10 15 70
Clerical 96 179 142 148 166 147 140 1,018
Shorthand, typing 45 24 67 40 86 49 77 388
Office machine operating etc. 12 7 11 3 12 5 49 99
Selling 3 11 7 8 5 6 1 41
Food preparing/serving 12 6 20 18 11 12 7 86
Hairdressing, cleaning etc. 2 15 14 6 3 1 7 48
Farming, fishing 0 20 10 8 21 15 20 94
Materials, processing—excluding metal 0 5 10 2 0 0 0 17
Metal making, engineering 86 199 144 161 165 185 100 1,040
Welding 10 12 9 38 27 16 26 138
Making and repairing (electrical) 25 37 26 77 81 50 58 354
Other making and repairing 7 34 47 20 29 16 59 212
Carpentry and joinery 13 14 14 12 14 20 18 105
Assembly, inspecting, packaging 7 4 6 30 19 10 26 102
Construction 1 11 15 10 18 14 19 88
HGV driving 3 40 18 14 16 16 6 113
Miscellaneous 28 50 131 172 62 79 166 688
Total 378 738 764 868 801 715 902 5,166

TABLE B
Numbers of disabled people trained, by training institutions
Calendar year 1976
Training Institution No. of Completions
Skillcentres 1,419
CFE 2,042
Private Colls 337
RTC 691
Emp Establs 490
Unspecified 2
Total 4,981

Financial year 1976–77
Training Institution No. of Completions
Skillcentres 1,424
CFE 1,994
Private Colls 358
RTC 694
Emp Establs 521
Unspecified 3
Total 3

Special facilities to train blind people for open employment are available in co-operation with the Royal National

Number of unemployed registered disabled people Number of unemployed registered disabled people as a percentage of the Disabled Persons Register
Latest available date Men Women Men Women Total
March 1973 71,401 8,643 13.5 10.5 13.1
March 1974 58,142 7,240 11.3 9.0 10.9
March 1975 57,763 7,517 11.7 9.5 11.4
March 1976 68,371 9,357 14.2 12.2 13.9
March 1977 67,447 10,110 14.4 13.3 14.3
March 1978 63,314 9,533 13.9 12.6 13.7