Forum Brief: Disability legislation

Small employers, disabled people, qualifications bodies, lawyers and others are being urged to respond to guidance from the Disability Rights Commission supporting major legal reforms to the employment of disabled people.

Forum Response: Disability Rights Commission

Bert Massie, chairman of the Disability Rights Commission, said: "The DRC's Codes of Practice will help people understand major changes to disabled people's rights at work. It's important we get the Codes right.

"If you will be affected by the new laws and have a contribution to make, I urge you to take the time to respond to the DRC's consultation."

Forum Response: The Law Society

Janet Paraskeva, chief executive of The Law Society, told ePolitix.com: "We wholeheartedly support the revision of the Employment Code of Practice, which we believe is long overdue.

"We hope that the new code of practice - which will have legal force - will bring rules on disability discrimination into line with the legislation on sex and race discrimination.

"We look forward to commenting in detail on both sets of draft guidance produced by the Disability Rights Commission."

Forum Response: The Disabilities Trust

Matt Townsend, spokesman for the Disabilities Trust, told ePolitix.com: "The Trust welcomes the DRC's consultation exercise on Codes of Practice for the implementation of the new DDA provisions relating to SME's, which come into force next October. The new regulations will tighten the definition of workplace discrimination, which we welcome.

"As there may be some apprehension in the small business community regarding the impact of these regulations, we would urge SME's to get involved in the development of the DRC's employers' Codes of Practice.

"They will play a crucial part in the explanation of the impact of the new DDA regulations on their business.

"SME input will help ensure that these codes are relevant and reflect the views of the business community, as well as protecting the rights of disabled employees."

Forum Response: British Council of Disabled People

Andy Rickell, director of the BCODP, told ePolitix.com: "We broadly support the widening of the scope of the DDA in the area of employment and the consultation process to involve stakeholders.

"We hope that employers will see these changes as a positive step to the improvement of the quality of their workforce by making sure they think about the disabled people they could employ, and not as 'more red tape' or 'political correctness'.

"Nevertheless we still regard the DDA as poor legislation for ensuring disabled people's rights at work, even with the changes."

Forum Response: Voice UK

Kathryn Stone, director of Voice UK, told ePolitix.com: "Voice UK welcomes these proposals. Either a law applies to all people in all situations or it doesn't. For a long time people have rightly been puzzled that some employers are exempt from this legislation. It's good to see that that is changing."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

Mike Harris, research officer at the IoD, told ePolitix.com: "Amongst other changes to be implemented from October 2004, the existing small employer exemption will be removed, thereby extending the DDA's coverage to many more businesses.

"Indeed, all employers or prospective employers will be covered by the Act, regardless of the number of people they employ. In this context, the DRC's role in the production of clear and unambiguous guidance to assist businesses to meet their legal obligations is key.

"The IoD looks forward to participating in the consultation launched today and will respond fully in due course. We would also echo the Commission's call to encourage small employers to involve themselves in the dialogue and help shape the new Codes of Practice.

"It is vital that the business perspective is voiced and acted upon, not least because the final Codes will have such a crucial part to play in ensuring that those affected have a proper understanding of their obligations under what is an extremely complex piece of legislation."