Dyslexia (Hansard, 15 November 1996)

§ Mr. Forth

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from D. J. L. Grover to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 15 November 1996: The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to reply to you about proposals to liaise with employers to enable those with Dyslexia to obtain jobs. As part of the Employment Service's national job broking role, specialist Placing, Advice and Counselling Teams (PACTs) already liaise with employers to encourage good practice in recruiting and 362W employing people with disabilities, to promote better understanding of disabled people's potential in work, including those with dyslexia, and specifically to place disabled people in jobs. The Employment Service's disability symbol initiative helps employers to implement good practices. PACTs' continuing work in influencing employers' practices, both to adopt the Disability Symbol and more widely, will support the new Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) the employment provisions of which come into effect on 2 December this year. The specialist Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) who work within the PACTs are specifically trained so that they are able to provide assessment, tailored employment rehabilitation (including employer placements) and advice on aids and special equipment as well as directly finding employment opportunities for people with disabilities, including those with dyslexia. Additionally the ES also produces a booklet "Sources of Information and Advice". This gives employers information about organisations which can offer advice or services covering a variety of disabilities and includes the British Dyslexia Association and the Dyslexia Institute. I hope this is helpful.