§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment who would own equipment jointly purchased by employers and the Government for disabled employees under the access to work proposals; and what advice will be issued to companies by his Department on(a) the declaration of equipment purchasing within the audited accounts of companies and (b) arrangements for insuring equipment.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythIn reaching final decisions about these and other details of the access to work scheme, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend Lord Henley are considering carefully all the representations made by the disability and employer groups whom they have recently met. Our aims, in relation to the issues raised by the hon. Member, will be to ensure that we have arrangements that do not inhibit the movement of people with disabilities into and between jobs and to ensure that procedures are simple and non-bureaucratic.
§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make the levy upon employers within his access-to-work proposals dependent on the allocated budget being fully spent after one year of the new scheme.
§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps will be taken by his Department to encourage employers to make the contributions expected of them under the proposed access-to-work scheme.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythIn reaching final decisions about the details of the access to work scheme, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend Lord Henley are considering carefully a range of representations made by disability and employer groups including representations about the proposed employer contribution. My right hon. Friend hopes to announce decisions soon.