§ 5. Mr. Wareingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the alleged case of discrimination against a disabled person, details of which were sent to him by the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby.
§ Mr. NewtonI have written to the hon. Member about both the cases that he referred to me.
§ Mr. WareingI note the Minister's reply. Does he now share the delight of so many organisations representative of disabled people that my Bill has received a Second Reading in the other place? Will he now justify his title as Minister with responsibility for the disabled by undertaking that should the Bill receive a Third Reading in the other place he will receive it into this House in a constructive and helpful way, rather than in the destructive manner in which he dealt with it previously?
§ Mr. NewtonI have already told the hon. Gentleman and others of my reservations about whether his Bill would achieve what he claims it would do. Indeed, I believe that the positive steps which the Government are taking in a whole range of spheres — employment, education, training and transport—are doing far more for disabled people than any legislation of the kind that the hon. Gentleman has proposed.