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Employment Opportunities for Disabled People (Public Procurement) (PE1036)
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the sixth meeting in session 3 of the Equal Opportunities Committee. I remind all those present, including members, that mobile phones and BlackBerrys should be switched off completely as they interfere with the sound system even when they are switched to silent.
Rather than talking about mainstreaming, the petition asks a specific question. I am glad that a meeting has been set up; my only concern would be that mainstreaming should not be forgotten about at that meeting.
I suggest that we incorporate the three suggestions in the paper, and write back to the Public Petitions Committee, saying that we would consider the matter further if the petition were to be officially referred to us.
Do members agree to adopt the three options in the paper?
We will say that we do not have any specific views, but that we look forward to the outcome of the public procurement meeting. We can also suggest that the Public Petitions Committee could perhaps refer the petition to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee.
Employment Opportunities for Disabled People (Homeworking) (PE1069)
We move to agenda item 2 and PE1069, which again has been referred to the committee for comment. Do members have any comments on the petition?
I have a similar comment to my previous one. Homeworking should be part of mainstreaming. People with disabilities could take advantage of homeworking, as could other people with caring responsibilities. I agree with the recommendations in the paper.
If there are no further comments, are we happy to note the recommendations in our paper? The Public Petitions Committee might wish to monitor the outcome of the meeting on reserved contracts and public procurement.