HC Deb 01 December 1989 vol 162 cc455-7W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) prosecutions and (b) warnings of possible prosecutions there have been since 1979 of firms failing to comply with legislation on the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Eggar

There have been no prosecutions under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 since 1979. Information relating to warnings of possible prosecutions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many area managers in the employment service have had experience of working in areas of the service concerned with the employment of disabled people; and what proportion this is of the total.

Mr. Eggar

All area managers in the employment service, a total of 71, have a direct line management responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations of an area office-based disablement advisory service team. As such, they are required to be fully acquainted with all the employment service disablement operations and programmes.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many disablement resettlement officers there are in the employment service; and what has been the percentage change since 1979.

Mr. Eggar

In April 1989, 488 members of staff in the employment service were undertaking disablement resettlement officer duties, of whom 333 were doing so full-time. I regret that comparable figures are not available for previous years.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many technical officers work in the employment service giving advice to disablement resettlement officers; and what has been the percentage change since 1979.

Mr. Eggar

In 1979, there were 13 technical officers working in the employment service giving advice to disablement resettlement officers. There is currently a cadre of 17 (an increase of 31 per cent.).

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to raise the status of work for disabled people in the employment service and to give it greater priority.

Mr. Eggar

People with disabilities are already one of the main priority groups for assistance from the Employment Department. A comprehensive network of services is available to help people with disabilities find and retain jobs through advice, assessment, rehabilitation and training; and in the case of people with severe disabilities, support in the form of sheltered employment.

My Department is currently reviewing the full range of services for people with disabilities, and a consultative document covering the conclusions of the review will be published as soon as possible.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to ensure that applicants for senior positions in employment service are required to have had some experience of working in areas concerned with the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Eggar

It is not always possible or indeed appropriate to fill all senior positions in the employment service with applicants who have had experience of working with some aspect of disablement services. Many in-service applicants from the employment service field network, or disablement specialists from employment service head office, will have had past experience; it is very unlikely that this would be the case for external candidates.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what central guidance is given regarding the issuing of permits which allow firms to take on able-bodied workers when they are not filling their quota of disabled workers.

Mr. Eggar

Instructions issued to disablement resettlement officers require them to consider the availability of suitable registered disabled people, and the degree of commitment shown by employers towards meeting their obligations under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the annual turnover of disablement resettlement officers.

Mr. Eggar

Details on the annual turnover of disablement resettlement officers are not readily available.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of his Department regarding prosecution of firms who do not comply with legislation on the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Eggar

The policy of this Department, as it has been of successive Governments since the Act was first established, is:

  1. (i) to bring prosecutions only as a last resort; and
  2. (ii) to pursue a policy of education and persuasion designed to secure and improve the policies and practices of all employers in relation to the employment of people with disabilities.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of his Department regarding taking action against firms which do not complete forms related to the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Eggar

Two forms are used to seek information from employers in relation to the quota scheme for employment of people with disabilities. These are (1) DP39—the application form for a permit to recruit a person or people who do not have disabilities and (2) DP74—used for the annual inquiry to employers to establish the numbers of registered disabled people employed. In neither case is there a statutory requirement for employers to complete the forms. Applications for permits are made only by those employers who are expecting to recruit in the near future. If a form is not completed it is assumed that employers have no plans to recruit workers. If the DP74 is not returned staff are instructed to send a reminder and, if there is still no response, to visit the employer.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of jobcentres are without a disablement resettlement officer.

Mr. Eggar

All jobcentres can provide access to disablement resettlement officers (DROs), either at the jobcentre at which the DRO is based, or by arranging a visit by a peripatetic DRO to the individual's local jobcentre, or, where appropriate, by a DRO visit to the individual's home.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of relevant companies completed the returns relating to disability in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr. Eggar

This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.