§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for his Department and each of the agencies for which he is responsible if it uses the Employment Service's positive about disabled people symbol for(a) external recruitment and (b) internal recruitment and promotion. [11914]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotMy Department initiated the use of the Employment Service's positive about disabled people symbol and is an accredited user. Departmental organisations, including agencies funded directly from defence votes, are entitled to use the symbol for both external and internal recruitment and promotion. The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, which operates on a trading fund basis, and the Meteorological Office, which is planning to operate on this basis later this year, are not covered by the departmental accreditation, but both agencies are currently working towards obtaining authorisation from the Employment Service to use the symbol in their own right.