Employers' Forum on Disability calls on MPs to maintain the Public Sector Duty
19th November 2007
Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) will call on MPs to maintain the Public Sector Duty at Parliament on Monday.
EFD will present the results of the Employers' Forum Disability Standard 2007 to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability (APPDG).
Results from the survey showed that public sector employers outperform the private sector on disability in most areas.
However under proposals in the recent Single Equality Bill Green Paper the public sector duty to promote disability equality was to be scrapped in favour of a single equality duty.
The Disability Standard 2007 results showed that on average 56% of public sector organisations have board level responsibility for disability, compared to an average of 43% of private sector respondents.
Results also showed that, on average, 60% of public sector organisations who took part in the Disability Standard have a clear and public commitment to achieving disability equality by senior managers - compared to 43% of private sector respondents.
Catherine Grinyer, head of communications at EFD said: "The results from the Disability Standard show that the public sector is more successful at getting it right on disability.
"The public sector is setting the standard for the private sector in many areas, however this momentum will be lost if the public sector duty is not maintained if the Single Equality Act is passed."
The Single Equality Bill was set to be read during this year's Queen's Speech, but was dropped after consultation.
The Bill will now be read for the first time in November 2008.
Employers' Forum on Disability Standard 2007
The Disability Standard is the only management tool that enables organisations to accurately measure their performance on disability, in every way it affects the business, and to put in place action plans that deliver real business improvement.
116 organisations took part in the Disability Standard 2007, between them employing around two million people in the UK.
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Notes to editors
Media enquiries, please contact:
Liz Nightingale, Communications Manager
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: liz.nightingale@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020
About Employers' Forum on Disability
Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 400 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.