§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what provision is planned for disabled claimants attending Single Gateway to Work interviews in job centres which do not have appropriate toilet facilities; and what plans he has to offer such interviews in alternative venues which do have appropriate toilet facilities. [67393]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Employment Service (ES) have been interviewing people with disabilities to help them, where appropriate, into work for many years. Since 1995 the Employment Service has been implementing a planned programme of works in its Jobcentres to improve access and facilities for disabled people, including disabled toilets. 64 per cent. of all Jobcentres have disabled toilet provision.
Where dedicated disabled toilets are not available, Jobcentre staff are sympathetic to the needs of their disabled clients and make staff facilities available to them. Where wheelchair access is a problem and there are no disabled toilets available, disabled clients can if they wish, be interviewed at another nearby Jobcentre with facilities or, if necessary in their own homes.
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Month Consultation Document Response Time January Numeracy matters: The preliminary report of the numeracy task force 10 weeks February Draft guidance on LEA educational development plans 10 weeks March LEA-School relations: Draft Code of Practice 10 weeks The regulations of early education and day care 16 weeks April Parent governor representatives on education committees 14 weeks Implications of religious designation 10 weeks Homework: Draft guidelines for secondary schools 10 weeks Homework: Draft guidelines for primary schools 10 weeks Education and day care 10 weeks Induction for new teachers—a consultation document 10 weeks Composition of the general teaching council (GTC) 13 weeks Meeting the childcare challenge—Green paper on national childcare strategy + summary 10 weeks New arrangements for effective student support in further education 10 weeks The education (Grammar School ballots) draft regulations 1998 10 weeks The religious character of schools (designated procedure) draft regulations 1998 10 weeks July Changing the procedures for calculating 1998 performance tables to include excluded pupils 10 weeks Home-schools agreements—Draft guidance for schools and LEAs 10 weeks Target setting for reducing exclusions and unauthorised absence 10 weeks Promoting disabled people's rights: Creating a disability rights commission fit for the 21st Century 12 weeks Review of TECs: TECs—Meeting the challenge of the millennium 11 weeks A review will be undertaken of accessibility to facilities used for the Single Work Focused Gateway interviews so that the best possible service can be made available to disabled clients.