§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to alter the building regulations as they affect disabled people in order to broaden their scope and assist those disabled people who are not confined to a wheelchair.
§ Mr. Trippier[holding answer 14 March 1988]: The building regulations were amended last December so as to require reasonable provision to be made to enable disabled people to gain access to offices, shops, and the principal entry storey of factories, schools and other public buildings. These requirements benefit people with a physical impairment which limits their ability to walk as well as people who need to use a wheelchair for mobility. We now intend to develop proposals for widening the scope of these requirements, and I am asking the Building Regulations Advisory Committee to consider how we might best proceed.