§ 32. Mr. Blakerasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will reconsider the policy by which blind persons are unable to take employment in sheltered workshops if they are classified as suitable for open industry.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithMy right hon. Friend has no powers under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, 1944, under64W which he can pay grant towards the cost of providing employment in such workshops for blind or other severely disabled people who have the skills and abilities to be employed without special conditions.
§ 55. Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set up a working party to bring up to date the findings of the Stewart Working Party on the employment of blind persons which sat from June, 1960, to 1962.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithNo. The question of the employment of blind people is included in the review of policies and services for disabled people on which, as I told the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 6th June, my right hon. Friend will be consulting the National Advisory Council on the Employment of the Disabled and other interested bodies as soon as possible.
§ 59. Mr. Will Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many blind persons are registered as unemployed in the City of Manchester to the nearest convenient date; and how many of these fall in the categories designated as Class 1 and Class 2.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithOn 28th June, 1972, there were 22 blind people registered as unemployed in the City of Manchester. Of these, 15 were considered to be in need of employment under special conditions.
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of blind persons employed and the number of special workshops employing them in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThe following table shows the number of special workshops employing blind people and the number of blind people employed in them at 31st March in each of the past five years.
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Year Number of Workshops Number of Blind Employees 1968 … … 64 2,977 1969 … … 62 2,813 1970 … … 61 2,705 1971 … … 60 2,539 1972 … … 60 2,405
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many blind persons are employed as blind person resettlement officers by his Department; how many sighted persons are in this section; how many blind persons training officers there are; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithOn 20th June, 1972, 11 blind men were employed as blind persons resettlement officers in my Department; 19 sighted men were also employed on these duties. One senior blind persons training officer and nine blind persons training officers were in post on that date.
In order to strengthen the departmental resettlement service for blind people, the number of blind persons training officers was increased from six to nine during June, and a senior technical officer was appointed to my headquarters staff. These additional officers are currently receiving specialised training.
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment what finance has been made available to the Industrial Advisers of the Blind Limited in each year since its inception; what was the total number of its employees in 1971 and the total number of blind persons employed in the special workshops to which advice is tendered.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithGrants paid to Industrial Advisers to the Blind by my Department during each of the years since its inception have been:
£ 1963–64 … … … 10,000 1964–65 … … … 36,500 1965–66 … … … 54,000 1966–67 … … … 64,600 1967–68 … … … 67,000 1968–69 … … … 69,000 1969–70 … … … 75,000 1970–71 … … … 83,000 1971–72 … … … 86,000 The total number of the company's employees in 1971 was 37 and the total number of blind people employed in the special workshops to which advice is available is 2,405.
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many blind persons unemployed on the last date for which figures are available are registered in Section One, and how many in Section Two; and what is the percentage of unemployed blind workers among those of working age.
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§ Mr. Dudley SmithAt 19th April, 1972, 1,020 blind people were registered unemployed; 478 in need of employment in ordinary conditions, and 542 requiring employment under special conditions.
11.22 per cent. of blind people of working age registered with my Department under the Disabled Persons Employment) Act, 1944 were unemployed in April, 1972.
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the reason for the practice of dividing blind persons into two distinct categories when seeking employment through his local offices; and if he will issue instructions to make it easier for a person placed in one category to be placed in employment designated as applicable to the other category.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithTo comply with the requirements of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act, 1944, it is necessary to identify disabled, including blind, people who by reason of the nature and severity of their disablement are unlikely to obtain employment under ordinary conditions, and in respect of whom grant may be paid for employment under special conditions. The position of all unemployed blind people is constantly reviewed, and my right hon. Friend is satisfied that the requirements of the Act are administered humanely and with maximum flexibility.