§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what comments his Department has had from the British Association of the Hard of Hearing on the draft British Telecom licence; if there is any action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherMy Department received comments from the British Association of the Hard of Hearing—BAHOH—on the draft BT licence on 18 November and the association is meeting officials of the Department very shortly to discuss its comments.
The Government are determined to ensure that disabled persons continue to be able to obtain telecommunications equipment adapted to their needs. We have included provisions in the Telecommunications Bill to achieve this, and the draft BT licence includes conditions designed specifically to safeguard the interests of disabled persons. The comments of BAHOH, together with others I receive, will be very carefully considered before I issue the final licence to British Telecommunications.