§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 19 December 1994, Official Report, column 910, if he will list his Department's responsibilities for providing opportunities for disabled people, beyond those responsibilities which it has for its own staff; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Charles WardleAlthough the policy responsibility for providing opportunities for disabled people lies with other Departments, DTI is involved in a number of areas which help provide opportunities for disabled people. For example, the Department, together with the Department of Health, helps to ensure that United Kingdom companies are well placed to take advantage of the funding provided, by the European Commission, for the development of new technologies which will benefit disabled people. We are also currently engaged, together with the Foreign Office, the Department of Health and the Department of Transport, in producing promotional video which will showcase UK products for disabled people.
Together with other departments, DTI is represented on the Inter-Departmental Group on Disability which coordinates activities in this area across Government, and through which we can keep a watching brief on initiatives which might be of interest to those in this department.
The department of Trade and Industry is an equal opportunity employer and currently employs 379 staff with disabilities—there are around 10,500 staff in DTI 591W and its executive agencies—of whom around 10 per cent. are at grade 7 (principal) level or above.