, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. Fine. Well, we hope that this inquiry will assist you. So, thank you very much indeed for your evidence. We'll send you a transcript and, obviously, if there's anything that we've misinterpreted, please come back to us. Thank you very much indeed for…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay, that's grand. I just want to ask, finally: we heard from Professor Debbie Foster last week a sense of frustration at the slow pace of change, and I appreciate that you can't tell us what's in a report that hasn't yet been published, but given that you…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Mick Antoniw.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Thank you. That's very helpful. So, can I pass on to Julie Morgan?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Mick, did you have your hand up or were you stretching your hand? I think he didn't have his hand up, so back to you, Joel.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. Very good. We'll move on to Joel James.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. We're starting to run out of time. So, Mick, short question, and short answers, please.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Sioned, have you got any further questions?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Thank you. I'm going to go back to Sioned Williams.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Very good. Sioned, I'll come back to you, but Mick Antoniw just wanted to come in.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Very good. Can I now bring in Sioned Williams?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Jane, did you have any further questions? If not, I'm going to go to Sioned.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
And Mick Antoniw, you wanted to come in.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Obviously, it was one of the main drivers of the 'Locked Out' report, which Jane Dodds is now going to ask you some questions about.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. There was one specific point in your paper that highlights the widening disability gap and insecure employment rates during the pandemic, which only happened in Wales, not in England and Scotland. Are you able to provide any insight into why that…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. Is it also to do with the sector being weaker? Because it was pointed out in our earlier session last week that the LGBTQ+ campaigners have developed a kitemark for employers as to who is a good employer to go to, whereas there isn't one that we're…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. But you say that it would make for better data with the public sector. So, why are they not complying? Surely they should be already adhering to best practices, given their remit.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Okay. You say 'the public sector'—what about the private sector?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 4
Welcome back to the Equality and Social Justice Committee. Our next evidence session is with Ruth Coombs, the head of the Wales Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Martyn Jones, the interim chair of the Wales committee for the Equality and Human Rights…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 3
Okay. Thank you. Apologies, Jane—I couldn't see you behind a technical message. So, thank you very much indeed. The committee will now take a short break, and resume our next session at 2.45 p.m.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 3
Very good. We'll send you a transcript of this interview, and please do correct it if there's anything that's—[Interruption.] Julie, you wanted to—. No, Jane, I'm sorry. I beg your pardon. I can't actually see you. [Laughter.] I can now.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 3
Okay. Very good. So, obviously, we'd be keen to hear what input you've had into improving the data around the inequalities suffered by people with disabilities in employment.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 3
I wonder whether you're aware there's also something called the workplace rights and responsibilities forum, which I think is more recent, and the workforce partnership council, which arises out of the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 3
Okay. Thank you very much. So, you're going to come back and tell us whether the FSB is involved in the disability rights taskforce.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 3
Okay, because equally, in the EHRC report, they highlight a widening disability gap in insecure employment rates during the pandemic, which was unique to Wales, not seen in England or Scotland. So, if the FSB had any insight into why that was, that would be…
