§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of Stale for Employment if he will make a statement concerning the rigorous enforcement of the quota scheme in six areas, including details of the level of quota compliance in each area before and after the exercise; and what is his estimate of the number of out-of-work registered disabled people who obtained jobs in those six areas during the exercise and the number of disabled people in employment who became registered during the period.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerAs I have previously stated, the exercise did not result in more disabled people entering into employment. In the six areas as a whole,
QUOTA POSITION Ayr Cambridge Middlesbrough St. Helens Walsall Wrexham Total Before Exercise Number of employers satisfying quota … 30 45 54 46 130 43 348 Number of employers below quota issued with permits* … 36 88 57 61 99 13 354 Number of employers below quota without permits … 35 72 10 19 58 34 228 After Exercise Number of employers satisfying quota … 30 63 70 35 135 65 398 Number of employers below quota issued with permits* … 49 137 64 49 110 32 441 Number of employers below quota without permits … 9 6 4 17 25 10 71 * In previous 12 months.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the maximum fine which can be imposed for infringement of the quota scheme; if he will bring forward proposals to increase the maximum; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe maximum fine which can be imposed following a conviction under Section 9 of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 is £100, or £500 in the case of a body corporate. An increase in the penalties could be effected only by means of an Act and there is no immediate prospect of a suitable Bill. I shall keep the matter in mind.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will name 344W 395 registered disabled people were placed in employment during the six months of the exercise, compared with 554 in the previous six months.
322 applications for entry on the disabled persons register were received from people in employment. This was 58 per cent. of all applications during the period. Normally considerably more applications are received from those unemployed than from those in employment.
The other main results were: an increase in the number of below quota firms applying for permits; some increase in the number of firms satisfying the quota; and only a small increase in the number of vacancies specially notified for disabled people. Quota compliance figures in each area before and after the exercise are shown below.
any employers who have been convicted of infringement of the quota scheme following action by his Department in the past 12 months; what penalties were imposed by the court; and what proportion the numbers convicted represent of the total number of employers infringing the quota scheme.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI do not propose to publish names of convicted employers in theOfficial Report but three employers in Leyburn, Middlesbrough and St. Helens were convicted during the past 12 months. Their cases received varying degrees of Press publicity at the time. Penalties imposed on each of two offences, in each case, were £5, £100 and £25, respectively. It is not possible to answer the last part of the Question, because the 345W total number of infringements of the 1944 Act could be discovered only by individual inspections of the records of all employers with obligations under the Act, followed by proceedings in the courts in the case of each apparent infringement.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what formal arrangements there are for liaison between disablement resettlement officers and local social services departments and health authorities; what plans he has for improving co-operation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there are long-standing formal arrangements for liaison on the needs of individual disabled people between disablement resettlement officers and staff of the local social services departments and local health services. Most DROs visit hospitals to interview disabled people, and there is regular referral of cases both to and from the social services departments, as need arises. There are also regular contacts between the services at area and national level.
These links have been strengthened during the last two years by the appointment of DROs in a few selected areas to work full-time in hospitals, and by the appointment of Senior DROs who have special responsibility for developing regular informal links with all the other statutory and voluntary services. Particular attention is now being given to promoting and publicising the Disablement Resettlement Service to ensure the facilities available are known to related services.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will extend the use of enclaves to include projects for the rehabilitation and retraining of disabled people for open employment within the firms to which they are attached.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am anxious to encourage the more extensive use of enclaves, as the Manpower Services Commission will when it takes over responsibility for sheltered employment. I am sure the MSC will consider projects of the kind proposed by my hon. Friend.