§ Mr. Pounderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement about the employment of disabled persons in Northern Ireland; and whether he is satisfied that employers recruit a reasonable percentage.
§ Mr. Peter Mills9,027 registered disabled people were known to be in employment on 1st June 1973. This represents 2.2 per cent. of the number of people employed either by firms with a quota obligation under the Disabled Persons Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 or in Government Departments which, although not subject to the quota, seek to employ at least an equivalent proportion of disabled persons. If48W the many disabled people who are in employment, though not registered as disabled, counted towards the quota it is probable that most firms would be found to be meeting their quota obligation, which at present is 3 per cent.