§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what evaluation he has made of the benefit of specialised computer equipment for blind and partially sighted people; [20236]
(2) what proposals he has to encourage the use of specialised computer equipment by blind and partially sighted people. [20239]
§ Mr. BowisThe Department has not carried out such an evaluation. We have, however, made a grant of £25,000 per year for three years to the computability centre in Warwick. The centre is a national charity which provides information and advice on computers to disabled people, carers, employers and professionals.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom are under the age of 18 years. [20238]
§ Mr. BowisLocal authority registers show that at 31 March 1994 in England, around 2 per cent. of people registered as blind and 2.5 per cent. of those registered as partially sighted were aged under 18.
623WInformation relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many blind and partially sighted people live in(a) Coventry, (b) the west midlands and (c) the United Kingdom. [20237]
§ Mr. BowisInformation on the numbers of people registered with local authorities as blind or partially sighted is shown in the table. As registration of blindness with local authorities is voluntary the figures may not provide a wholly reliable indicator of the prevalence of blindness or partial sight in the population.
Blind and partially sighted people registered with local authorities—at 31 March 1994 Numbers Blind and partially sighted people Blind people Partially sighted people Coventry 1,440 730 720 West Midlands 22,210 13,700 9,510 England 265,370 149,670 115,710 Source: DH triennial return SSDA902.
Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom use specialised computer equipment for individual use otherwise than as students or as employees. [20235]
624W