AS AN AMENDMENT TO COMMONS AMENDMENT No. 72 (Hansard, 2 November 1988)

§ Lord Williams of Elvel

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment No. 72A to Commons Amendment No. 72. The Secretary of State has been kind enough—I claim no personal credit—to say that we have introduced a certain number of modifications to the Bill. This amendment, which he has indicated that the Government are prepared to accept, extends the category of handicapped people, deaf or hard-of-hearing, to others such as autistic children, Down's syndrome children and others who for one reason or another will find proper therapy in the alteration of 272 certain broadcasts and programmes which will be useful for them. The question of therapy for children and adults who are handicapped in one way or another, and of adapting broadcasts or copyright material to make them more comprehensible and understandable to those who are handicapped, is a matter of great concern to us on these Benches.

I am very happy that the Secretary of State is prepared to accept this amendment. There is a consequential amendment that I shall move later when we come to it. In the meantime, I commend Amendment No. 72A to the House.