HL Deb 04 December 2003 vol 655 cc478-81
Lord Morris of Manchester

asked the Chairman of Committees:

What steps have been taken over recent years to help Peers with severe visual impairments in discharging their parliamentary duties; and what further action is being considered.

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara)

My Lords, recent improvements have been made to the clarity of documents, including the Order Paper and new format Committee reports. Official documents are also available on the Internet and Intranet, and may be printed at whatever size type is most convenient.

The physical environment has also been improved including adapted lifts and Braille signs. A survey of the Palace for access and facilities is currently underway and will report in the New Year.

Lord Morris of Manchester

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, who is as totally committed as any Member of this House to placing people with sight problems on the same footing as those of us who can access standard print. Is he aware that the European Commission, among many other institutions, already has a transcription centre to transfer printed documents into formats such as large print, electronic, audio and Braille? Are there any plans to provide transcription facilities here in consultation with organisations such as the RNIB to make information available in these other formats for Peers, employees and visitors with visual impairments that make it difficult or impossible for them to access standard print?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for his kind words. I pay tribute to him for all the work that I know he has done over many years for people who are visually impaired. I am indeed aware of the facilities provided by the European Commission documentation facility for visually impaired people. There are currently no plans to provide centralised transcription facilities in the House of Lords.

The House endeavours to respond to demand from individual Members and members of staff with visual impairments to provide them with the appropriate support to allow them to carry out their work. I am of course always willing to receive requests for additional support. In recent years, we have worked closely with the RNIB to make improvements in providing information for visually impaired Members and staff in a suitable format. In addition, the brief guide to the House of Lords is now available in Braille to visitors and work is being done to make the brief guide available in audio format.

Baroness David

My Lords, I am glad that there will be a general review but could whoever is responsible for it pay particular attention to the lighting on steps and stairs, because that is what some of us who are visually impaired find particularly difficult?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I was not aware of the problem with lighting; I will now see what can be done to improve it. I would say only that if noble Lords have problems that they feel should be considered, please come to my office or Black Rod's office and we will see what we can do.

Lord Addington

My Lords, although thanking the noble Lord in advance for the individual reaction that he is taking to disabilities in this House, will he inform us exactly what co-ordination there is between the different types of problems and their solutions within the House? For instance, a good, solid hand rail will help someone who is visually impaired and someone who has movement difficulties.

What sort of process is there to ensure that ongoing improvements in aids such as voice operation software, which speaks back to you and to which you can speak, can be worked into what is available as the normal package in the House?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I would hope that we will continue to have meetings with the RNIB, as we have had in recent years. I am very happy to meet again if that would help. I am sure that that would lead to the sort of improvements for which the noble Lord, Lord Addington, looks.

As for co-ordination, again, I would hope that people would come to me if they have suggestions to make. As I said, a survey of the House is underway to consider how not just visually impaired people but all people with a disability can be assisted. I believe that the survey will report early in the New Year, and I hope will provide useful suggestions.

Lord Astor of Hever

My Lords, while accepting that the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 does not apply here, does the Chairman of Committees agree that Parliament should as far as possible provide help no less favourable than best practice outside?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

Indeed, my Lords. Although technically speaking the DDA does not apply to the Palace, because of Crown immunity or whatever, we try—I hope we succeed—to fulfil the requirements laid down for us.

Baroness Darcy de Knayth

My Lords, does the Chairman of Committees agree that the in-house transcription mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Morris of Manchester, would also have the added benefit that it would be useful for those sighted Peers who receive correspondence in Braille from people with disabilities to enable them to carry out their parliamentary duties?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, the noble Baroness makes an interesting point. I have not been made aware of problems with Peers receiving material in Braille that needs to be translated. I have been considering the matter the other way round: where text needs to be translated into Braille. It is an interesting point that we should consider translating Braille into text. Translation services are available to us. which I am sure could fulfil that role as well.

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, it is one thing for the noble Lord, and the organisation generally, to respond to requests from individual Peers—I am delighted that that happens. However, could the noble Lord be a little more pre-emptive? Is information collected on the number of Members of this House who have a sight problem and what would be their preferred format in which to receive information, if they cannot use the facilities provided?

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, I do not believe that information is collected in the way that the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, describes. As he suggests, we are more reactive than proactive; obviously, we do not want to make available facilities that are not required, because of the expense that goes with that.

Lord Mowbray and Stourton

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that I occasionally find myself very embarrassed going down the staircase from the Committee Rooms? When I start, there is no one there. By the time I have got down, the whole staircase has been blocked by my being so slow. It is the going down which is the problem for people with bad eyesight— with one eye, and so on. As the noble Lord asked for suggestions, I let him have my view.

Lord Brabazon of Tara

My Lords, perhaps I may suggest that the noble Lord uses the lifts, which now— many of them, anyway—have what some noble Lords find annoying: this voice which tells you at what floor you are.