Deaf People (Hansard, 19 December 2003)

§ Tim Loughton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many interpreters for deaf people are available in each hospital trust; [145016]
(2) how many interpreters for deaf people are employed by the NHS. [145018]

§ Mr. Hutton
The information requested is not collected centrally.

§ Tim Loughton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to communicate with deaf mothers in labour in hospital maternity departments. [145017]

§ Dr. Ladyman
The Department is firmly committed to improving access to information services and levels of awareness of disability issues, in particular by supporting the national health service in meeting legislative requirements. We are working in partnership with the Disability Rights Commission to take forward a series of actions aimed at improving the experiences of disabled people in the health and social care system. A working group is being established to drive forward work on access and communications.