Double standards over disabled

The Government stands accused of massive discrimination against disabled
workers in the Civil Service, with its own official figures showing huge
disparities in the recruitment and advancement of the disabled.

In an exclusive interview with Personnel Today, Tim Loughton, shadow health
and children’s minister and member of the All Party Disability Group, said the
figures demonstrated the Government was overtly discriminating against the
disabled.

The most recent statistics on Civil Service’s statistics website show that
an average of 3.6 per cent of junior civil servants are disabled, with the
number dropping to 1.7 per cent in more senior roles.

Loughton said there was a glass ceiling in place in the Civil Service for
people with disabilities and accused the Government of "tokenism"
when it came to implementing disabled recruitment policies.

"The Government needs to practice what it preaches," he said.
"As one of the biggest employers in the country, if it is not setting an
example by making places as accessible as possible to people with disabilities,
then it’s hard for private employers to follow by example."

Some of the worst offenders include the Home Office, which has 2.6 per cent
disabled employees in junior roles and none in senior positions, and the
Ministry of Defence, which according the figures, employs no disabled people at
all.

Loughton said that the chance of a disabled civil servant reaching a senior position
was less than one in 7,500. He called for an audit of government departments to
see why some are more successful than others in recruiting disabled people.

Minister of state for the Cabinet Office Douglas Alexander said: "The
Government is committed to making the Civil Service more reflective of the
communities we serve and recognises the need for sustained work to achieve
this," he said.

By Michael Millar

% of total employed in each dept who are disabled…

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The Worst Offenders                           Total                Junior civil servants    Senior Civil servant                           

1. Ministry of Defence                          93,450             0%                               0%
2. HM Prison Service                           44,110             1.1 %                           0%
3. Home Office                                     22,840             2.6%                            0%
4. Cabinet Office                                  2,260               1.9%                            0.5%
5. Office Of Deputy                              PM4,760         2.4%                            1.4%