§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will take steps to make disability equality training a compulsory component of training undertaken by careers advisers, careers officers and teachers responsible for careers information.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythLocal education authorities are required by statutory guidance given under the Employment and Training Act 1973 to make arrange-ments to identify the training needs of their careers service staff and make arrangements to meet those needs.
This guidance requires careers officers to obtain the diploma in careers guidance. The diploma covers equal opportunities training, including provision for people with disabilities.
The training of careers teachers is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Education and for Wales as appropriate.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what efforts are currently undertaken by her Department to ensure that all publicity material produced by her Department concerning training programmes relating to disabled people promotes positive images of disabled people.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe Employment Department no longer produces national publicity material on training programmes. This is now the responsibility of individual training and enterprise councils (TECs). TECs are responsible for the planning and delivery of training programmes and are contractually bound to ensure equality of opportunity for all trainees.
The Employment Department, however, produces advisory material on a range of issues for TECs, and others. Material concerning people with disabilities is quality checked by a specialist team in the Department.