§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the progress of disabled people in employment training.
§ Mr. Fowler[holding answer 14 February 1989]: Twelve per cent. of new entrants to employment training are people with a long-term health problem or disability.
This is a significantly higher proportion than for any previous adult training programme, including the community programme. It shows that people with disabilities are just as able as others to benefit from training when it is geared flexibly to their individual needs.
Employers can now look very seriously at recruiting and training people with disabilities through ET. As the growth in the work force slows down, opportunities for people with disabilities to get and keep jobs will increase and they will be better able to realise their full potential. Employment training is helping people with disabilities to make the most of these opportunities.