§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made on the recently announced Silver Jubilee Committee on Improving Access for Disabled People; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisI am pleased to say that I chaired the first meeting of the committee today, when I was able to announce that Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent has graciously indicated her support for its work. Today's meeting gave the opportunity for a wide-ranging discussion of the problems disabled people meet with in seeking access to public and social buildings and not least to places of recreation. Future meet-194W ings of the committee will consider ways of stimulating the widest possible public awareness of these problems.
Almost all members of the committee are themselves disabled or have a disabled person in their family. Thus they know, at first hand, of the many unnecessary and humiliating barriers which disabled people face in their day-to-day activities. I am sure the committee will have an important and practical contribution to make towards promoting increased awareness of the access problems of disabled people and in helping to tackle these problems.
The full membership of the committee is:
- Mr. Peter Large
- Lord Crawshaw
- Mr. Norman Croucher
- Mrs. Claudia Flanders
- Mr. Duncan Guthrie
- Mr. Colin Low
- Mr. K. Matheson
- Mr. Tim Robinson
- Mrs. Doris Sharp
- Mr. Tom Tickell
- Mrs. Claire Tomalin
- Mr. C. Wycliffe Noble
- Dr. Adrian Stokes
- Mr. George Wilson
together with officials from the Department of Health and Social Security, the Department of the Environment and the Home Office. I have also sent an invitation to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) as chairman of the All-Party Disablement Group in the House and to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) as the secretary of the group.