§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what efforts are currently made by her Department to inform disabled people of their rights under section 9 of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.
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§ Mr. McLoughlinResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. Fogden to Mr. Dafydd Wigley, dated 22 January 1993:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about the information provided to disabled people about section 9 of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.Under section 9 of the 1994 Act an employer (with twenty or more employees) has a duty to employ a quota (3%) of registered disabled people. It is not an offence to be below Quota but in such circumstances employers must obtain a permit before engaging someone who is not registered as disabled. In addition under section 9 of the Act, an employer (with twenty or more employees) may not discharge a registered disabled person without reasonable cause if immediately after the dismissal, the employer does not employ a Quota (3%) of registered disabled people. Registration as a disabled person is voluntary.Disabled jobseekers may be made aware of the registration provisions of the Act and their consequent rights in the course of interviews with my people or through the leaflet 'Advice on Joining the Disabled Persons Register' which is available in all my Jobcentres. I enclose a copy of the leaflet for your information.As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Oflicial Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.