§ 21. Mr. Madelasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the existing provisions that enable a disabled person to acquire a skill: and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe Government support the Manpower Services Commission's programmes to encourage and assist the implementation of constructive policies towards the employment, training, career development and promotion of disabled people. That is why we fully support many of the schemes which were introduced, developed or planned under the previous Government. We are, for example, continuing to support the MSC's resettlement schemes, including the programme of special aids and grants to employers for the adaptation of premises or equipment to enable them to employ or retain specific disabled employees. The MSC also offers training in a wide range of skills through the training opportunities scheme: and financial assistance to enable disabled people to take courses leading to qualifications required for professional employment. I am assured that the Commission will continue to make a flexible response to individuals' needs within the resources available.
It is also important to ensure that employers adopt positive attitudes towards the employment and training of disabled people, including employees who become disabled. Our support for the MSC's "Fit for Work" campaign and the awards scheme reflects our concern.
§ 28. Mr. Ioan Evansasked the Secretary of State for Employment what further action is proposed to increase employment opportunities for the disabled.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe Government place great importance on assisting disabled people to obtain suitable employment opportunities. It remains our policy to support the Manpower Services Commission in encouraging and assisting firms to implement constructive policies towards the employment of disabled people. Our continued support for MSC's "Fit for Work" campaign, the 123W awards scheme, and MSC's resettlement schemes to help disabled people to get work reflects our concern.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the numbers of firms (a) fulfilling their quota, (b) partially fulfilling their quota and (c) exempted from fulfilling their quota obligations in respect of registered disabled people; and if he will present these data for each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 2 November 1979, c. 687–88]: I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the numbers of firms fulfilling their quota during each of the past 10 years are given in the table below. Also in the table are the numbers of firms which, although below quota, had received permits enabling them to recruit workers who were not registered as disabled.
The issue of a permit does not exempt an employer from the requirement to employ his quota of registered disabled people.
Year Number of firms fulfilling their quota Number of firms below quota issued with permits 1970 27,168 22,150 1971 26,155 21,534 1972 25,385 25,875 1973 24,089 25,554 1974 22,107 23,030 1975 20,747 21,611 1976 19,632 21,358 1977 18,696 21,703 1978 17,744 21,785 1979 17,045 22,412 Information about the number of firms which partially fulfil their quota is not available centrally.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the number of unemployed registered disabled people for each year since 1948, presenting the data also as a percentage of all unemployed people;
(2) if he will list (a) the numbers of unemployed registered disabled people and (b) the numbers of registered disabled in work for each year since 1948; and if he will express (a) as a percentage of (b).
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 2 November 1979, c. 687–88]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of unemployed 124W registered disabled people in April of each year since 1948, and those numbers expressed as a percentage of all unemployed people for the same period, are in the attached table, but no precise information is available on the number of registered disabled people in work.
(A) (B) Numbers of unemployed registered disabled people (A) as a percentage of all unemployed people Per cent. 1948 78,067 27.5 1949 70,778 21.7 1950 65,128 19.8 1951 52,774 20.8 1952 54,719 16.5 1953 58,475 16.6 1954 51,013 16.6 1955 41,249 17.9 1956 40,797 17.6 1957 48,955 15.1 1958 52,061 12.7 1959 59,671 12.2 1960 54,835 14.2 1961 47,860 14.7 1962 52,323 12.7 1963 62,415 10.8 1964 56,104 13.6 1965 48,318 14.5 1966 45,192 14.8 1967 58,048 10.9 1968 65,350 11.4 1969 68,536 12.3 1970 72,116 11.9 1971 80,172 11.1 1972 91,063 9.8 1973 77,360 11.7 1974 63,375 10.7 1975 65,369 8.0 1976 75,857 6.1 1977 75,205 5.6 1978 70,765 5.1 1979 63,600 4.9
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the number of local authorities which employ their quota of 3 per cent. registered disabled workers and the number which fail to do so, classifying the data according to whether the authority is (a) county council, (b) district council, (c) Greater London area council, (d) Scottish district council (e) Scottish regional council and (f) Scottish Island council;
(2) if if he will list the number of Government Departments employing 3 per cent. of registered disabled employees.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 2 November 1979, c. 688]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that information on the quota positions in 1979 of employers in 125W the public sector, including Government Departments and local authorities, is being gathered and it is planned to publish this information, as has been the practice in recent years, in the November edition of the Department of Employment Gazette.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the answer given to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Mr. Ashley), Official Report, 19 June 1978, columns 55 to 56, concerning the length of time
NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES UNEMPLOYED FOR THE PERIODS SHOWN Registered disabled people All unemployed Number (1,000s) Per cent. Number (1,000s) Per cent. Up to two weeks 2.2 3.6 164.3 11.8 Over two and up to four weeks 2.0 3.3 170.4 12.2 Over four and up to eight weeks 3.2 5.3 204.3 14.7 Over eight and up to 13 weeks 3.0 5.0 112.0 8.0 Over 13 and up to 26 weeks 6.0 9.9 188.9 13.6 Over 26 and up to 52 weeks 8.5 14.1 211.6 15.2 Over 52 weeks 35.5 58.8 340.5 24.5 60.4 1,392.0 Note: The figure of unemployed registered disabled people given in the reply includes 8,427 people in Section II who are considered capable of employment only under sheltered conditions. People in Section II are excluded when taking the general unemployment count.