Mrs Sylvia Heal (Staffordshire Mid)

I welcome the opportunity to make my maiden speech in the House. In so doing, I am mindful of and will respect the traditions and customs of the House. I should like to record my thanks to right hon. and hon. Members and to the staff of the House for their warm welcome, many offers of help, numerous pieces of advice and several offers of pairing.

I should have liked to enter the House under different circumstances, and I wish therefore to pay tribute to my predecessor, the late John Heddle. He was a Member of the House for a decade and he represented the Mid-Staffordshire constituency following its formation in 1983. I extend my sympathy to his widow and family. Although I did not have the privilege of meeting him, I know from comments made by my constituents that he was regarded as a man who worked hard and conscientiously to represent them. I am sure that he is missed by his former constituents, and not least his family.

I look forward with enthusiasm and confidence, however, to the challenges that the electors of Mid-Staffordshire have given me. My constituency was formed by the Boundary Commission in 1983. It is a long, narrow constituency stretching from the north to the west midlands and it is not based on a single community. It is predominantly rural, but it contains three main towns.

Lichfield is a pleasant cathedral town and the birthplace of the wit Samuel Johnson, who dubbed it a city of philosophers. In the middle of the constituency is Rugeley, a predominantly industrial town dominated by two power stations and a mine. Thirty miles to the north lies Stone, a canal-side market town which has attracted a wide variety of national and international companies.

During the time I have been associated with Mid-Staffordshire, I have learnt why the people there have a pride and affection for the area, which many right hon. and hon. Members on both sides of the House visited during the election campaign. Indeed, the influx of so many politicians and representatives of the media gave a mini-boost to the local economy which was much appreciated.

Although peace and tranquility have returned, many of the problems in the area remain. The constituency is set in the heart of middle England and comprises industrial, commercial and rural concerns, with large housing estates, small picturesque hamlets and a work force of professional, managerial and skilled people, so it can rightly be seen as a microcosm of the United Kingdom. That is why the issues that concern my constituents affect the whole country. The continuing increase in the rate of inflation is bringing misery and a hard financial struggle to many home owners and making it impossible for others to get a foothold on the property ladder. Industry is looking for more stability to give it the confidence to plan ahead for the investment and growth that are essential for the prosperity of us all.

The Health Service and education were also issues in the election campaign, but one issue came to dominate it and it would be remiss of me not to mention it. I refer to the poll tax—the harshest, most regressive and unfair tax to be imposed on the British people in more than 600 years. It is misleading to pretend that the rebate system offers any real protection because even the least well of will have to pay a minimum of 20 per cent. The many debates and Divisions in the House on the poll tax have resulted in a majority for the Government, but I find my views best summed up by Dr. Johnson, who said: Though we cannot out-vote them we will out-argue them. They shall not do wrong without it being shown to themselves and to the world. Today we have been debating workplace nurseries, which are meant to provide access to employment for parents. There is, however, another group of people for whom access to employment is difficult—people with disabilities. The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys records the fact that about two thirds people with disabilities depend on state benefits. Because of the additional costs incurred from chronic illness and disability, this means that many face added problems in trying to live on an inadequate income, which further affects the quality of their lives.

The current benefit system is both chaotic and unjust. It should be replaced by a single system of assessment of disabled people and their careers. Benefit should be paid according to need, not according to how people became disabled or whether they were in employment at the time. Only 31 per cent. of all disabled adults of working age are employed, compared with 69 per cent. of the general population. That is certainly not due to any lack of motivation or ability—it is due to lack of opportunity. Many of us take the challenges and rewards of employment for granted. Those who have experienced a period of unemployment will know that it brings not just a loss of income but a loss of dignity, self-esteem and social contact.

Even if people with disabilities have the qualifications and expertise to do a job, they have to overcome discrimination on the grounds of their disability. Studies conducted by the Spastics Society in 1986 and 1989 provide scientific evidence to back up what disabled people know from their own experience—that they face discrimination often from the moment of initial inquiry about a job. The Spastics Society's research shows that two in every three valid applications from candidates with a disability will be treated in a discriminatory way.

The society attempted theoretically to place a secretary in appropriate vacancies advertised in newspapers. For each position, two applications were sent and similar characteristics were described in each letter, except that the applicant's disability was mentioned in only one of them. Nearly twice as many interviews were granted when the disability was not mentioned as when it was. Such results spell discrimination in capital letters.

Discrimination means seeing an applicant's disabilities rather than his abilities, and although many employers would like to behave in a more socially responsible way, they fail to recruit people with disabilities because of ignorance and fear that it will involve them in extra work, expense and special consideration. Yet often these are small considerations such as a handrail, a ramp, a flashing light on a phone, or a lower desk or work bench. For some, the requirement may not be a physical adaptation of the office or factory but a flexible working pattern—flexi-time or part-time working.

It is important to make a distinction between physically and mentally disabled people, because people recovering from mental illness often face even greater hurdles when trying to return to employment. The illness or breakdown may have been a long time ago and the person may be completely recovered, but although the person may have the best qualifications and the right experience for the job, a history of mental illness can lead to the second-best applicant getting the job.

It is not only the private sector which fails to employ disabled job-seekers. Government Departments and, with some notable exceptions, local authorities also fail to meet the quota set in the 1944 Act. In view of demographic changes, skill shortages and the challenge of 1992, the Government should be taking a lead in ensuring that there are no obstacles to encouraging people with disabilities to enter or return to the employment market with appropriate schemes of rehabilitation and training. However, that in itself is not sufficient. Having acquired skills and regained their confidence, the hopes of such people are dashed when the door of opportunity to employment remains closed. I am convinced that, if real progress is to be made in providing equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, a more active approach by employers is necessary and legislation to outlaw discrimination is an important step.

It has been a privilege to address the House and I thank hon. Members for the courtesy that they have extended to me. Following my success in the by-election, I was reminded of the words of Aneurin Bevan when he said: Election is only part of representation. It becomes full representation only if the elected person speaks with the authentic accents of those who elected him"— or, in this case, her. That does not mean he need be provincial and that he speaks in the vernacular. It does mean he should share their values, that is, being in touch with their realities. I believe that I share the values of the people of Mid-Staffordshire and I shall endeavour to represent them in the House to the best of my ability for a long time to come.

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