§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many disabled people work(a) in the Ministry of Defence and (b) for the armed forces; and how many work at rates below £4 an hour. [22643]
§ Mr. SpellarThe number of civilian staff who were recorded as having some form of disability on my Department's civilian disability database at 1 October 1997 was 4,312. This includes staff serving in Defence Agencies. Armed Forces personnel are exempt from the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act and therefore there are no accurate records of disabled Service personnel. Details of these, and how many disabled civilian staff work at rates below £4 an hour, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.