National Disability Council (Hansard, 4 December 1997)

§ Dr. Tonge
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure public access to the agendas, council papers and minutes of National Disability Council meetings. [17740]

§ Mr. Alan Howarth
The National Disability Council (NDC) has a good record on openness. For example, it produces an annual report giving full information on its activities, writes to its partners during the year to keep them in touch with developments and undertakes wide public consultation before presenting Codes of Practice to Government on access for disabled people to goods, facilities, services and premises.
We will be considering how the NDC and other Non-Departmental Public Bodies which advise my Department might be made even more open in the light of comments made on the consultation document "Opening up Quangos" issued earlier this month by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

§ Dr. Tonge
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representation Her Majesty's Government received from the National Disability Council(a) before and (b) after 3 May in respect of securing amendments to the Treaty of European Union in favour of the disabled. [17739]

§ Mr. Alan Howarth
As noted in its annual report for 1996–97, the National Disability Council (NDC) advised Government both before and after 3 May of its concerns that the Treaty did not sufficiently protect the interests of disabled people. It urged support for an amendment to Article 6a which had been proposed to combat discrimination based on various grounds, including disability. The NDC also encouraged amendment of Article 100a to ensure that measures designed to harmonise the single market did not inadvertently damage the interests of disabled people.
With support from the UK Government, an amendment to Article 6a was agreed at the Intergovernmental Conference in June. The Government also initiated and secured a declaration on Article 100a which requires the institutions of the European Community to take account of the needs of disabled people in drawing up single market measures. The NDC subsequently welcomed these positive steps forward for disabled people.