§ Baroness Mashamof Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why guide dogs for the blind are not permitted to accompany their owners in HM prisons and courts of law.
§ Lord EltonNo instruction exists centrally prohibiting guide dogs for the blind from having access to either Prison Department establishments or courts. Any request from a blind visitor to bring a guide dog into a prison would be considered sympathetically. Should a blind person with a guide dog have difficulty gaining admittance to a court, the matter should be raised initially with the clerk to the court. However, if the noble Baroness has a particular case in mind I should be happy to look into it if she will supply me with details.