Divorce (Hansard, 5 April 1995)

Mr. John M. Taylor

The table gives the numbers of divorces in each year from 1989 to 1993, the latest year for which figures are available. It also gives the percentages of these divorces that were based on each of the five facts by which irretrievable breakdown of marriage can be demonstrated. A small proportion of petitions are based on a combination of facts, and this proportion is also shown.

The Lord Chancellor has responsibility for the Court Service, the Public Trust Office, Her Majesty's Land Registry and the Public Record Office as executive agencies. As this question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executives are best placed to provide the answer, I have asked them to reply direct.

Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 5 April 1995:

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION: FACILITIES FOR THE DISABLED The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to your question about facilities for the disabled. Newly built Crown, county and combined court centres comply with the requirements of Part M of the Building Regulations 1991, which lay down specific levels of access for disabled court users. The policy is that the design of buildings should enable disabled people to gain independent access into and within the building so that they can fulfil their role in the function of that building; this policy covers all building users—visiting public, jury, professionals and all staff engaged in the building. New court building schemes have a revised Crown Court layout which provides better access to and within a courtroom. A sound enhancement system for the hard of hearing is required as standard in one courtroom in every new building. This is generally provided as an infra-red system which preserves security. Appropriate facilities are provided for wheelchair users, the hard of hearing and people with impaired sight. These include parking facilities close to entrances, level or ramped approaches close to entrances, good acoustic environments, signage and infra-red hearing aid installations, good quality lighting, the avoidance of hazards along routes, clear layouts and back-up aural information. It will be necessary to review our estate in the light of the requirements of the Disabled Bill currently before Parliament and the Regulations to be made under it. There will also have to be discussions with disabled people and the organisations that represent them, to ensure that their views are taken into account and that they are informed of any problems there may be with particular buildings. The Department has some 450 buildings; about a third of these are listed or older buildings and it will not always be easy or even possible to arrange the kind of access that is required. Our managing agents have been instructed to review our Estate and to identify what 1169W needs to be done to improve access. On the basis of that information and as part of the ongoing refurbishment programme, every effort will be made, subject to resource and building constraints, to bring our buildings up to the required standard.

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 5 April 1995:

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION: ACCESS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE IN HM LAND REGISTRY I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning the measures taken to facilitate access for disabled people in HM Land Registry. I can provide the following information: The Land Registry carried out a comprehensive review of all facilities offered for disabled people in 1988. A wide range of improvements, including better means of access, were subsequently carried out. These included the provision of dedicated car parking spaces, the building of ramps, and the installation of electronic doors. Where it was not possible to provide unaided wheelchair access, "service call" facilities were installed. A further review of facilities has recently been carried out as part of the Registry's response to the "Programme for Action to Achieve Equality of Opportunity in the Civil Service for Disabled People". While the great majority of Registry sites already meet the requirements indicated in the Access Checklist published in the Programme, an action plan is currently being prepared to enhance facilities where required. I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Letter from S. Hutcheson to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 4 April 1995: The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Departments' response to your Parliamentary question concerning access for disabled people. Appropriate facilities are provided for wheelchair users which include ramps, handrails, parking facilities near to the entrance and toilets which are accessible to wheelchair users. We also have evacuation chairs for wheelchair users for emergencies such as a fire. The Public Trust Office is situated in an older building and as parts of it are refurbished we are increasing the numbers of toilets with disabled access.

Letter from Duncan Simpson to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 4 April 1995:

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION: FACILITIES FOR THE DISABLED In the absence of the Chief Executive, who is away on official business, I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question relating to facilities for the disabled at the Public Record Office. The Kew building, which opened in 1977, incorporated several design features for the disabled. These are:

a) a lift for disabled users;
b) toilets for disabled users;
c) a wheelchair access ramp leading to the public entrance;
d) 5 parking bays for the disabled located at the point nearest to the public entrance;
e) a visual alarm for the fire alarm system.

An extension to the existing building, due for completion in 1995–96, will include the same facilities. The nineteenth-century Chancery Lane building has been adapted in recent years to improve facilities for disabled users and includes:

a) two wheelchair lifts to allow access from street level to the ground floor;
b) ramped access to the microform reading room;
c) toilets for disabled users;
d) parking for the disabled by prior arrangement

In addition, there are special arrangements to make documents available to wheelchair users in the reading room which allows easiest access for them. Evacuation chairs are available on both sites for use in an emergency. The Public Record Office has appointed a Disabled Persons Officer, part of whose job is to ensure that action point in the Office's Equal Opportunities Policy relating to disabled facilities are followed. This includes ensuring that special equipment needs for staff are met.