§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Employment if public sector employers have yet agreed to a procedure for publishing information about the numbers of registered disabled they employ.
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§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 5th July 1976; Vol. 914, c. 451], gave the following information:
Figures for public sector employers were published in the November edition of the DE Gazette. I welcome the fact that public sector employers have agreed to this publication and the moves that a number of employers in the public sector, including the Civil Service, about which my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Civil Service Department made a statement on 14th June, have already taken to review their policies for the employment of disabled workers. The figures give cause for concern in many instances but, as the Gazette article points out, they relate only to those disabled employees who have registered and, because registration is voluntary, there are a number of disabled employees who have not registered.
The Manpower Services Commission and the Employment Service Agency, which are now responsible for the quota scheme, have a wide range of supportive services for disabled people in the jobs market. In the light of the figures I am asking the ESA to discuss with public sector employers the employment needs of disabled people and to give appropriate advice. I am also arranging with the Commission for local Disablement Advisory Committees to consider the local situation in their areas. My ministerial colleagues are already considering what more might be done in fields for which they have responsibilities.
In addition, in co-operation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's National Advisory Council, the Commission will be issuing next spring a guide for employers which will stress the induction, training and career development of disabled workers whether registered or not. A major publicity effort is planned for the guide, and I shall be asking my hon. Friends to assist me in ensuring that it receives the maximum attention of all employers, including those in the public sector. The Civil Service has already issued its own Code of Practice on Employment and Disabled People. The aim is to ensure as far as possible that disabled people are given an equal opportunity when recruitment does take place, and that those who are in employment have the same 785W opportunities for advancement as their able-bodied colleagues.
As to the quota scheme, the Manpower Services Commission and ESA will seek to administer this firmly but fairly as part of their unified services for disabled workers. ESA has appointed full-time inspectors to inspect the records which employers with quota obligations are required to keep; they will take over this task on 1st January next from wages inspectors who have previously undertaken it on a part-time basis.
I believe that, taken together, the steps I have outlined offer the best immediate way of tackling the problems illustrated by the Gazette article.