Disabled People (Hansard, 25 January 1993)

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth

Responsibility 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. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Gordon McMaster, dated 25 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

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proceeded against. Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 includes both failing to stop or report a road traffic accident and also failing to provide proof of insurance.

Committees for the Employment of People With Disabilities (CEPD5). This is something which falls within the responsibility delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.

Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with the information you require about the names, residence and occupation of people appointed to the Committees. There are 60 local Committees with a total membership of approximately 900 people and such information about the membership is not held centrally.

Chairmen and members of Committees are not paid. Certain allowances may however be claimed and I am enclosing a note of the current rates.

We do not expect any particular weekly commitment from people on the Committees, nor is there a record of the amount of time spent on Committee work. There are usually 2–4 meetings each year and events to promote people with disabilities.

Turning to your question about the date of appointment and retirement, I regret I cannot give details about the date of appointment as such information is again not held centrally. Committees are normally reconstituted approximately every three years when all appointments are considered afresh. Committee Chairmen are appointed by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State on behalf of the Secretary of State. Members are appointed by my Regional Directors again on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Committees are next due to be reconstituted on 1 April 1994 and current appointments will terminate on 31 March 1994.

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Committees have a duty to advise and assist the Secretary of State for Employment (in practice my local officials) on matters relating to the employment and self employment of people with disabilities in their areas. Their role includes:

helping to influence and educate employers locally towards positive policies and action to promote the employment and progression of people with disabilities;
promoting and marketing our services to people with disabilities particularly employers;
a statutory role in respect of items referred to them in conjunction with registration of people as disabled and the provisions of the Quota Scheme.

We value the help Committees give to promoting people with disabilities and in getting the important message across to employers that disability does not mean inability.

As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

Allowances for CEPD chairmen and members Subsistence allowance
	If lunch is not provided £	If lunch is provided £
Night subsistence
Inner London	98.70	94.45
Elsewhere	85.85	81.60
Day subsistence
More than 5 hours but not more than 8 hours	4.25	none
More than 8 hours	9.30	5.05

Financial loss allowance including loss of earnings and child case allowance
	£
(i) Where the period during which loss or expense is incurred is not more than four hours—maximum of	20.70
(ii) Where the period during which loss or expense is incurred exceed four hours—maximum of	41.40
Maximum amount paid per day—	41.40

Mileage by private motor vehicle
	Engine capacity of car
	Up to 1500cc	1501–2000cc	Over 2000cc
Up to 5,000 miles per year	35.7p	40p	43p
Over 5,000 miles	17p	21 p	27p