§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what representations were made to him at his meeting on 20 October with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Mencap, the Spinal Injuries Association, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation and Deaf Accord to discuss his proposal to oblige employers to contribute 50 per cent. of the cost of providing services such as personal readers and special aids to employment for disabled people working with them for six months or longer; what reply he has made; what action he will be taking to revise the proposal; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what consultations he is having with the Employers' Forum on Disability and the CBI on his proposal to oblige employers to contribute 50 per cent. of the cost of providing services such as personal readers and special aids to employment for disabled people working with them for six months or longer.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe meeting on 20 October was called to discuss the new scheme "access to work" about which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a statement to the House on 22 June 1993,Official Report, column 102. It will replace and extend four of the Department's current special schemes and enable us to help more disabled people and meet a much wider range of their employment related needs. To help fund the extra costs we will expect employers to contribute 50 per cent. of the cost of help, up to a ceiling, to employees who enter the scheme after working for them six months or more.
Members of the delegation welcomed the increased flexibility of access to work. They expressed concern about the willingness of employers to pay a contribution and the effects this would have on the employment of disabled people. My right hon. Friend sought to reassure them. Both current and previous research suggests that employers would be willing to make a reasonable contribution: my right hon. Friend pointed out that the limit on the employer contribution, and on individuals' entitlement, about which they also expressed concern, had yet to be set.
My noble Friend Lord Henley met representatives from the Employers' Forum on Disability on 2 November to discuss access to work; my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be meeting them on 9 December. The Department is currently in correspondence with the CBI on a number of issues including access to work. The Department has offered to meet the CBI at a suitable date.
There are a number of issues on access to work on which my right hon. Friend has still to make decisions. In addition to the limits on individual entitlement and employer contributions, these include transitional arrangements for existing beneficiaries of the current special schemes, for how long those helped as new recruits will remain exempt from the employer contributions and whether there will be special arrangements for certain types of firm.
Once my right hon. Friend has taken a decision on these areas, an announcement will be made to the House.