§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will set up a capital fund to provide local authorities and other statutory agencies with resources with a view to enabling all major public buildings to be made accessible to people in wheelchairs by 1995;
(2) if he will estimate the capital cost of providing unrestricted wheelchair access to all major public buildings such as libraries, schools and hospitals.
(3) what detailed plans he has to assist local authorities to accelerate their existing programme of work to improve access to public buildings by people in wheelchairs;
(4) what central Government finance is being made available to increase access to public buildings by people in wheelchairs.
§ Mr. YeoI have no plans to set up a capital fund of the kind the hon. Member has in mind. Regardless of financial resources, it is not always practicable, particularly in the case of listed historic buildings, to provide unrestricted wheelchair access to existing public buildings such as libraries, schools and hospitals. Where it is feasible to provide such access the cost will vary according to circumstances, and no realistic estimate of the overall capital cost can be made.
Access for wheelchair users and other people with disabilities to all storeys of new shops and offices and the entrance storeys of other new non-domestic buildings is a requirement of the present building regulations. There is also a requirement not to adversely affect standards of access for disabled people when altering such buildings.
My Department is currently consulting on proposals to increase the scope of the regulations to include the upper storeys of a broader range of new multi-storey buildings, some extensions to existing buildings and major reconstructions behind retained facades and to include facilities for the benefit of people with sight and hearing impairments. Thereafter as part of a phased approach, we shall be assessing ways of extending the scope of the regulations to require provision for people with disabilities when, with respect to non-domestic buildings, proposals are made for types of alteration or extension not previously included within the regulations.
A variety of initiatives aimed at improving access for people with disabilities in existing public buildings has been launched by my own and other Government Departments since 1981; a list of them has been placed in the Library in response to the question recently put by the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) (Official Report, 14 December 1990, column 517).
88WIn 1989 the Government gave £150,000 to the Carnegie trusts ADAPT fund for the improvement of facilities for disabled people in arts venues. I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by the Minister for the Arts to questions recently put by the hon. Member for Ynys Mon (Mr. Jones) (Official Report, 29 November 1990, column 462). My Department has no proposals to set up a similar fund for making other public buildings accessible to people in wheelchairs.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to assist local authorities to provide additional public toilets which are adapted for use by people in wheelchairs.
§ Mr. YeoUnder a contract placed by my Department, British Market Research Bureau Limited is currently carrying out a research project on sanitary provision for people with special needs. I plan to make the report available to local authorities during the course of this year. A major feature of it will be detailed information on the needs of wheelchair users with regard to the planning, design and equipping of public toilets.