HC Deb 01 July 1975 vol 894 c398W
25. Mr. Marten

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest figures for the employment of registered disabled.

Mr. Harold Walker

Of the 557,217 people currently registered as disabled. 67,215, or 12.1 per cent., were unemployed in June this year.

Mr. Ovenden

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the numbers of registered disabled people employed by each nationalised industry and indicate what proportion of each industry's work force this represents.

Mr. Harold Walker

I do not think it would be appropriate to do so.

Mr. Mates

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the budget of his Department, in both money and percentage terms, was devoted to the training of the registered disabled in 1973–74 or in the last convenient period for which figures are available.

Mr. John Fraser

I am advised by the Manpower Services Comission that most disabled persons are trained alongside the able-bodied under the auspices of the Training Services Agency and separate records of expenditure are not maintained. It is estimated, however, that approximately £6 million or 8 per cent. of the agency total expenditure of £73 million in the 1974–75 financial year was devoted to the training of registered disabled people. This represents approximately 3.5 per cent. of the net figure voted to my Department for 1974–75.