§ Mr. HealeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will review the threshold exempting employers with fewer than 20 employees from the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [19449]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthI am pleased today to announce such a review. It will provide an early opportunity to seek views on one way in which the position of disabled people in society might be improved. A key aspect of the review will be a consultation exercise aimed at gleaning views and information from a wide range of disability and employer organisations, especially those representing small firms, as well as individual disabled people and employers. It will include meetings with interested parties.
The Act requires a review to be held, begun immediately after the fourth anniversary of the commencement of the exemption provision if not held sooner, and allows the threshold to be lowered, but not removed completely, following the review. Any change must come into force within a year of the review starting.
The Government will consider carefully the responses to the consultation before deciding whether the threshold should be lowered to extend the Act's employment rights to more disabled employees and job applicants and, if so, to what level. We shall take account of any problems which may particularly apply to smaller employers, as well as looking at the wider costs and benefits of change.