15Provision of employment, or work on their own account, under special conditions, for registered persons who are seriously disabled.N.I.
(1)Facilities may be provided as specified in this section for enabling[F1 disabled persons] who by reason of the nature or severity of[F1 their disability] are unlikely either at any time or until after the lapse of a prolonged period to be able otherwise to obtain employment, or to undertake work on their own account (whether because employment or such work would not be available to them or because they would be unlikely to be able to compete therein on terms comparable as respects earnings and security with those enjoyed by persons engaged therein who[F1 do not have a disability]), to obtain employment or to undertake such work under special conditions, and for the training of such persons for the employment or work in question.
(2)The nature of the facilities to be provided under this section shall be such as the Ministry may determine, and the Ministry may with the approval of the Ministry of Finance make arrangements for the provision thereof by[F1 any company, association or body], which appears to the Ministry to be able and willing to provide the requisite facilities in an efficient and proper manner.
[F1(2A)The only kind of company which the Department itself may form in exercising its powers under this section is a company which is—
(a)required by its constitution to apply its profits, if any, or other income in promoting its objects; and
(b)prohibited by its constitution from paying any dividend to its members.]
(3)The objects of any company to be formed for the purposes of this section may include all such objects as appear to the Ministry to be requisite for enabling it to act effectively for those purposes, and any such company shall be constituted so as to enable all or any of its operations to be controlled by the Ministry or persons acting on behalf of the Ministry as may appear to the Ministry to be requisite.
(4)The Ministry, or with its authorisation any such company, association or body as aforesaid providing facilities under this section, may defray or contribute towards expenses incurred by persons for whom facilities are provided under this section in travelling to and from the place where they are employed or work or where training is provided, and may make payments to or in respect of such persons, up to such amounts as the Ministry may with the approval of the Ministry of Finance determine and in such manner as the Ministry may determine.
(5)Payments may be made by the Ministry—
(a)in respect of the expenses of the formation and incorporation of any such company as aforesaid;
(b)to any such company association or body as aforesaid in respect of expenses incurred by them in providing facilities under this section, or of expenses incurred by them under the last preceding sub-section; and
(c)to any local authority in respect of expenses incurred by them under any enactment conferring powers on them in that behalf in providing under arrangements made between the Ministry and the authority facilities approved by the Ministry for any of the purposes mentioned in sub-section (1) of this section, in defraying or contributing towards expenses incurred by persons for whom such facilities are so provided in travelling as mentioned in the last preceding sub-section, or in making payments to or in respect of such persons;
up to such amounts as the Ministry may with the approval of the Ministry of Finance determine.
[F1(5A)For the purposes of this section—
(a)a person is a disabled person if he is a disabled person for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and
(b)“disability” has the same meaning as in that Act.]
Subs.(6) rep. by SLR 1980