HC Deb 17 July 1990 vol 176 cc528-9W
79. Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details for Great Britain of the number and percentage of people with disabilities of working age who are unemployed.

Mr. Eggar

The most recent estimate is that there are about 285,000 people with disabilities who are economically active and want but are not in work. This is 22 per cent. of the total. This information was obtained in summer 1989 during a survey commissioned by my Department into the numbers and characteristics of people with disabilities in the labour market. The figure is compiled on a basis different from that used to produce the monthly claimant-based statistics, so is not exactly comparable with general unemployment figures.

Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details for Great Britain and for the west midlands region, for each year from April 1986 to the most recent date, of the number and percentage of YTS leavers who on leaving YTS were unemployed(a) in total and (b) with disabilities.

Mr. Nicholls

The information is as follows:

All leavers Disabled leavers
West mid-lands Great Britain West mid-lands Great Britain
April 1986 to March 1987
Number 2,739 19,761 73 761
Percentage 25.0 26.6 42.7 40.8
April 1987 to March 1988
Number 4,542 42,478 339 2,804
Percentage 12.2 14.6 36.0 32.9
April 1988 to March 1989
Number 2,853 27,381 186 1,738
Percentage 11.6 14.0 31.4 30.6
April 1989 to January 19901
Number 2,358 22,521 126 1,346
Percentage 11.6 13.1 25.0 28.6
1 Subject to revision.

Source: Respondents to YT Follow-Up Survey.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to what percentage of the work force employed by British Coal registered as disabled.

Mr. Eggar

As at 1 June 1989, 0.4 per cent. of the work force of British Coal were registered disabled, as published in theEmployment Gazette in February 1990.