Disabled People (Hansard, 5 December 1994)

§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the number and percentage of disabled people employed by his Department and associated agencies in each year since their establishment; and what are the projected figures for the next five years.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The numbers of registered disabled people employed by the Department of National Heritage and its agencies in each year since its establishment in April 1992 are as follows:

1992 1993 1994

Number Per cent. Number Per cent.

Totals N/A 7 1.7 5 1.1

45W
Projected figures for the next five years are not available.

§ Mr. McNamara
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the budget allocated by his Department and associated agencies for each of the next five years for, and how many staff or staff hours equivalent have been allocated to achieve the objectives of, the programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity in the civil service for disabled people.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The Department fully supports the aims of the programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity in the civil service for disabled people. There is no discrete budget for action associated with the programme, as expenditure includes cost elements associated with, for example, staff numbers, training, alterations to buildings and accommodation, which cannot be disaggregated.
It is not possible to estimate the number of staff or staff hours equivalent necessary to achieve the objectives of the programme for action as the implementation of the programme will require the involvement not just of equal opportunities-disabled persons officers but of other human resource specialists, recruitment and training officers and individual line managers throughout the Department.

§ Mr. Chris Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with the trustees of the Tate gallery about measures to ensure better access for disabled people to the gallery.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The policies adopted by the Tate gallery for access for people with disabilities are a matter for the trustees of the gallery.
Under the statutory fire and safety regulations, only six people in wheelchairs can visit the main floor of the gallery at Millbank at any one time. However, the trustees welcome visitors with disabilities and are committed to improving access to the gallery, which their planned building programme due to start in 1995 will help to achieve.