§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what assessment he has made of the training needs of workers with visually handicapped people;
(2) what discussions have been held with the Association of Directors of Social Services on the resourcing of training of specialist workers with visually handicapped people;
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that there are adequate numbers of specialist workers with visually handicapped people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyI have been asked to reply.
The number of specialists employed by local authority social service departments to work with visually handicapped people is a matter for individual authorities to decide in the light of their assessment of local need. In 1985, the Department commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research to carry out a comprehensive review of the training and work of specialist workers with visually handicapped people. This was followed, in 1988, by an external management and financial review of the three specialist training bodies concerned. Officials have held discussions based on the recommendations in the reports of these reviews with a
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Table 1: Unemployment, not seasonally adjusted Birkenhead TTWA1 Wirral and Chester TTWA1 Merseyside England Great Britain Number Percentage rate2 Number Percentage rate2 Number Percentage rate2 Number Percentage rate2 Number Percentage rate2 January 1979 (Registrants) 17,003 10.6 — — 83,666 12.0 1,108,433 5.4 1,391,220 5.9 June 1983 (Claimants) 29,632 18.5 35,359 17.2 — — — — — — Percentage change 74.3 — — — — — — — — — January 1990 (Claimants) — — 21,761 10.5 84,423 14.1 1,277,107 6.2 1,586,632 6.6 Percentage change — — -38.5 — 0.9 — 15.2 — 14.0 — 1The definition of travel-to-work areas changed in 1984. The current travel-to-work area within which Birkenhead falls is Wirral and Chester. Data is for the current area back to the earliest available date (June 1983). Earlier data is given for the old travel-to-work area of Birkenhead. 2 Narrow based rate. variety of interests, including representatives of local authorities, voluntary organisations and the relevant specialist training bodies. The recommendations in the reports have also been drawn to the attention of the Association of Directors of Social Services.