Disabled People (Hansard, 29 June 1988)

§ Mr. Alfred Morris
To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what recent steps have been taken to increase employment opportunities in Government Departments
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1988–89 from duties and from value added tax on spirits, beer, wine, made-wine, cider and perry, respectively; and to what factors he attributes any differences.

§ Mr. Lilley
The information is as follows:
for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on current variations in the percentages of jobs filled by disabled people in Government Departments.

§ Mr. Luce
[holding answer 28 June 1988]: Civil Service policies to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities are set out in the code of practice published by the Cabinet Office in 1985. In the last 12 months, my Department has taken a number of steps to increase the effectiveness of these policies. These include:
(i) developing direct links with voluntary organisations involved in training and employment projects for people with disabilities; recent contacts include Outset, Lambeth Accord, and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf;

(ii) work to develop appropriate training to help Departmental Disabled Persons Officers to implement policies more effectively;

(iii) improving the quality of information about the posting and career development of staff with disabilities to allow statistical monitoring and the identification of barriers to equality;

(iv) publicising within the Civil Service the work of the Department of Employment Disablement Advisory Service and encouraging participation in the Sheltered Placement Scheme and the Remote Work Unit Scheme.
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The most recent figures showing departmental variations in the employment of registered disabled staff were published in the January 1988 edition of "Independent". A copy is in the Library. the Civil Service is committed to increasing job opportunities for people with disabilities and all Departments are encouraged to increase their employment of registered disabled staff to at least 3 per cent. of the work force.