§ 8. Ms Meg Munn (Sheffield, Heeley)What good practice his Department has recognised in respect of councils promoting better access and mobility. [49400]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Ms Sally Keeble)Earlier this month, we announced that Telford and Wrekin council, Nottinghamshire county council and the London borough of Lewisham had been awarded beacon status for their good practice in ensuring that they provide better access to services for local residents through imaginative local transport schemes.
§ Ms MunnI thank my hon. Friend for her answer, but may I raise with her the concerns of my constituent Mrs. Carson, who has a disability and relies on a motorised wheelchair to get about? What does my hon. Friend have to say to Sheffield city council about the fact that one of its departments—social services—has spent thousands of pounds adapting Mrs. Carson's council house, while another department has refused to fund the construction of a ramp at the end of the walkway where Mrs. Carson lives, thus making her virtually a prisoner in her own home?
§ Ms KeebleThe case shows how important it is to make sure through beacon council schemes and the like 144 that local authorities extend best practice and prevent people from becoming prisoners in their own home. My hon. Friend might be aware that under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 local authorities have responsibilities to ensure that disabled people can exercise their rights of access to goods, facilities, services and premises. The case she describes, which arises in a Liberal Democrat council, is a complex one, and in the interests of ensuring that the services provided to her constituent are improved, I ask her to send me the full details. I will make sure that officials advise the council.
§ Mr. Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight)Is the Minister aware of the importance of access to jobs for those who are unemployed? The unemployment rate on the Isle of Wight is 5.8 per cent., compared to an average rate in the south-east of England of 1.7 per cent. A recent report states:
insularity prevents the Island's unemployed searching for jobs effectively off the Island. The cost and time involved cause labour mobility to be far lower than on the mainland.Will the Minister consider redesignating the rural bus challenge, which was most welcome, the rural transport challenge, so that Isle of Wight council can apply to the Government for money to spend on supporting ferry journeys?
§ Ms KeebleThe Government are acutely aware of the need to make sure that people have access to jobs. Our approach differs somewhat from the one adopted by the previous Administration, which was simply to tell people to get on their bike. We have provided support to enable unemployed people to get buses to work through schemes such as the urban bus challenge, and our support for rural buses makes provision for 4 million additional people to get to work. The hon. Gentleman never fails to raise constituency issues, and I am sure he knows that we have examined extremely carefully the special needs of the Isle of Wight. However, I suspect that most people can find jobs in the local job market, and we provide support for bus services there.
§ David Wright (Telford)May I congratulate Telford and Wrekin council on securing beacon status for access and mobility? Is my hon. Friend aware that the council, working with its partners, has increased the use of local buses on the red line route in the town by 40 per cent. in the past two years?
§ Ms KeebleYes, my hon. Friend's local authority's beacon status is well deserved both through the dial-a-ride scheme that he mentioned and a new service called the Wrekin Ryder. By increasing the rural bus subsidy grant, the Government have provided for an extra 4 million bus passenger journeys, which is a huge commitment to improving transport services for rural communities.