HC Deb 31 January 1989 vol 146 cc115-6W
Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered disabled people were in employment on 1 January; and how many were in employment five years ago.

Mr. Lee

I regret that this information is not available.

Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of employers does not operate the 3 per cent. quota for employing disabled people; and how this differs from the percentage five years ago.

Mr. Lee

In 1988 a total of 76 per cent. of employers within scope of the quota scheme employed less than 3 per cent. of people registered as disabled compared with 69 per cent. in 1983. The quota scheme is being considered as part of my Department's internal review of services to the disabled.

Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in the last five years in achieving the employment of disabled people.

Mr. Lee

A total of 93,500 people with disabilities, including some with severe disabilities, were placed in employment through jobcentres in 1987–88 compared with 63,200 in 1983–84. Over the same period, the number of people with severe disabilities supported in the sheltered employment programme rose from 14,936 to 18,413.

Support for employment and training programmes specifically for people with disabilities has generally been maintained between 1983–84 and 1987–88. At the same time, increasing attention has been given to improving access to the Department's general employment and training programmes. It is estimated that in 1987–88 some 51,000 people with disabilities were accepted on to these programmes.

The Department has also given close attention to promoting the adoption by employers of positive policies towards the employment of people with disabilities—in particular through the establishment of the disablement advisory service and the publication and distribution of the code of good practice on the employment of disabled people.