§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on(a) the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended and (b) the level of compliance with its provisions.[11319]
§ Maria Eagle[holding answer 31 October 2001]: Most provisions of the DDA have been implemented. The final provisions of part III will be implemented in October 2004. The provisions on education come into force in September 2002, with some reasonable adjustment duties on responsible bodies in the post-16 sector coming into force in 2003 and 2005.
Only courts and tribunals can decide whether a particular action complied with the DDA or not and then only if a complaint is made. Emerging findings from research indicate that awareness levels are increasing and fewer than one per cent. of people covered by the parts II and III have complained to tribunals and courts. Compliance with the accessibility regulations for transport vehicles has generally been good.