§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if the Manpower Services Commission's code of good practice on the employment of disabled people has been distributed to Government Departments and local authorities; and what measures are being taken to assess the effectiveness of the code.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkCopies of the code of good practice have been sent to all government Departments and the Civil Service's own code is currently being revised to take account of its recommendations. Every local authority has been supplied with copies of the code.
It is too early, as yet, to assess the effectiveness of the code, but the response to the code is being carefully monitored. Information about employers' first impressions of the code is being obtained during the first half of this year, and a more detailed evaluation is planned at a later stage when employers have had time to adjust their policies and practices where necessary to its guidance.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many copies of the Manpower Services Commission's code of good practice on the employment of disabled people have been printed; how they have been distributed; and what has been the cost of promoting the code.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkSixty thousand copies of the code have been printed so far. Copies of the code have been sent to chairmen of major companies in the private sector as well as to heads of nationalised industries, local authorities, Government Departments and voluntary organisations. Forty thousand copies have been sent to members of the Manpower Services Commission's disablement advisory service for local distribution to employers, voluntary organisations and other interested bodies. The initial cost of promoting the code, including printing and distribution, has been £73,000.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the code of good practice on the employment of disabled people since its publication from (a) disability organisations and (b) employers.
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§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe code of good practice has been endorsed by the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation and by the National Advisory Council on the employment of disabled people. It has been well received by the chairmen of many major companies and by the Confederation of British Industry. It is now being widely promoted at local level to employers throughout the country by the Manpower Services Commission's disablement advisory service and the reaction so far has been very favourable. Responses will continue to be carefully monitored during the coming months.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, since the publication of the code of good practice on the employment of disabled people, there has been an increase in the number of inquiries from employees to the Disablement Advisory Service; and if he anticipates an increase in the work load of disablement resettlement officers.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe code of good practice is generating a great deal of interest among employers. The disablement advisory service is promoting the code as part of its everyday work of encouraging employers to adopt good policies and practices towards disabled workers, and will monitor the level of interest and response over the coming months. It is not anticipated that the introduction of the code will directly affect the numbers of clients with whom disablement resettlement officers (DROs) deal. However, if employers respond positively to the advice in the code, the DROs will be assisted in their task of placing disabled jobseekers.