§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will confirm that the Employment Service Agency recruited no unemployed registered disabled person during 1976; and how many the Agency expects to recruit in 1977.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the Employment Service Agency recruited 91 registered disabled persons for permanent employment during 1976, most of whom are likely to have been unemployed at the time of their employment. The Agency does not set itself recruitment
350Wage groups and the length of time registered as unemployed.
§ Mr. GoldingFollowing is the information at January 1977, the latest date for which an analysis by age and duration of the unemployed is available:
targets, but in 1977 it will continue to encourage suitably qualified disabled persons to apply for its vacancies through the normal open competition arrangements.
The Department of Employment Group, of which the Agency is part, is one of the three Government Departments which currently satisfy their statutory obligation to employ a 3 per cent. quota of disabled persons.