HC Deb 26 November 1979 vol 974 cc436-9W
Mr. John Grant

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those organisations and bodies which have made representations to the Manpower Services Commission on the consultative document concerning the quota scheme for the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Jim Lester

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the organisations and bodies which have made representations to it on the discussion document concerning the quota scheme for the employment of disabled people are as follows:

Trade Unions

  • Trades Union Congress
  • East Ham Trades Council
  • Wisbech Trade Union Council
  • Hatfield Trades Union Council
  • Scottish Trades Union Congress

Employers

  • Confederation of British Industry
  • British Broadcasting Corporation
  • Glass and Glazing Federation
  • British Ports Association
  • Dairy Trade Federation
  • Amey Roadstone Corporation Ltd.
  • British Steel Corporation
  • Thomas Mercer Ltd.
  • British Gas
  • The Electricity Council
  • The Post Office
  • British Airways
  • Remploy Ltd.
  • Remploy Ltd.
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  • Food Manufacturers' Federation Inc.
  • F. H. Gilman Ltd.
  • General Council of British Shipping
  • The H.P. Motor Policies at Lloyds
  • Electronic Instruments Ltd.
  • Plastikos Ltd.
  • The Scottish Stamping & Engineering Co. Ltd.
  • Esso Petroleum Company Ltd.
  • Haven Products Ltd.
  • Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

Voluntary Organisations

  • Disability Alliance
  • Scottish Council on Disability
  • The Partially Sighted Society
  • Standing Conference of Voluntary Social Work Organisations in Staffordshire
  • The Spastic Society
  • Wales Council for the Disabled
  • Scottish Association for Mental Health
  • National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom
  • Social Services Research Group
  • Islington Disablement Association
  • Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation
  • Apex Trust
  • Croydon Disablement Association
  • Birmingham Royal Institution for the Blind
  • British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association
  • MIND—National Association for Mental Health
  • Association for Spinal Bifida and Hydrocephalus.
  • The Royal British Legion
  • Royal National Institute for the Blind
  • Disabled Advice Service
  • Association of Disabled Professionals
  • Greater London Association for the Disabled
  • The Scottish National Federation for the Welfare of the Blind
  • The John Dennison Social Group
  • Spinal Injuries Association
  • Low Pay Unit
  • Waltham Forest Association for the Disabled

Government Departments and other Government Organisations

  • Department of the Civil Service for Northern Ireland
  • Department of Health and Social Security
  • Equal Opportunities Commission
  • Civil Service Department
  • Scottish Health Service Common Services Agency
  • Royal Mint
  • Department of Manpower Services, Northern Ireland

Other Organisations and Bodies

  • The Society of Occupational Medicine
  • Greater London Council
  • West Midlands County Council
  • Association of Metropolitan Authorities
  • Northamptonshire Area Health Authority
  • Distributive Industry Training Board
  • Borough of Langbaurgh
  • Association of County Councils
  • Kirkcaldy District Council
  • Birmingham Chamber of Industry and Commerce
  • Rehabilitation Studies Unit of Edinburgh University
  • Institution of Industrial Managers
  • Edinburgh Council of Social Service
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  • Paper and Paper Products Industrial Training Board
  • East Sussex Area Health & Local Authority Joint Care Planning Team
  • The British Computer Service
  • Chemical & Allied Products Industry Training Board
  • CBI/STUC Joint Working Group

Careers Service

  • The Hampshire Careers Service
  • The Institute of Careers Officers
  • Durham County Careers Service
  • Essex County Council Careers Service
  • Salop County Council Careers Service
  • Cambridgeshire Careers Service
  • Oxfordshire County Council Careers Service
  • London Borough of Bromley Careers Service
  • London & South East Working Party of Specialist Careers Officers
  • City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Careers Centre.

In addition, 170 of the 219 disablement advisory committees have responded.

Mr. David Young

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms employing over 20 workers are employing their 3 per cent. of registered disabled workers.

Mr. Jim Lester

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that at the conclusion of the annual review on 1 June 1979, 17,045 or 35.3 per cent. of employers with 20 or more workers were employing 3 per cent. or more registered disabled workers.

Mr. David Young

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms employing under 20 workers in Bolton are failing to employ a 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled workers and do not possess Government permits to avoid their quota.

Mr. Jim Lester

Only firms which employ 20 or more workers are subject to the quota provisions of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944. Firms with fewer than 20 workers are not required to maintain records relating to their employment of registered disabled people or to obtain permits before recruiting.

Mr. David Young

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered disabled people are employed by the local authority in Bolton; and what this represents as a percentage of the work force in each department.

Mr. Jim Lester

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission—MSC—that information provided by the Bolton metropolitan borough council in June 1979 shows that 228 or 2.3 per cent. of the council's staff were registered disabled people.

As the quota obligation relates to an employer's total staff there is no requirement for the employer to provide, nor for the MSC to obtain, information about the distribution of registered disabled people within an organisation.

Mr. David Young

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what checks his Department carries out to see that firms are employing disabled workers capable of employment in those firms.

Mr. Jim Lester

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission—MSC—that employers with 20 or more workers are asked each year to submit returns showing the proportion of registered disabled people employed. Similar information is provided on permit applications by below-quota employers who wish to engage workers who are not registered as disabled. In addition, officers authorised by the MSC conduct a regular programme of inspections of employers' records during which the number of registered disabled people employed by the firms concerned are verified.

Disablement resettlement officers advise employers about the employment of both registered and unregistered disabled people giving guidance on the suitability of jobs, calling on medical, psychological and technical expertise if necessary.

Close co-operation between firms and the disablement resettlement officer is central to the MSC's "Fit for Work" campaign, which is aimed at promoting constructive policies on the employment of disabled people.

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