§ Lord McConnellasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to take any steps to ensure the improvement of facilities for disabled passengers at Heathrow Airport Terminal 1; and whether they consider it satisfactory that passengers who request a wheelchair in advance are told that it cannot be provided at the entrance or at the Underground station but that they must go by whatever means they can to the check-in desk, which is a considerable distance away, before wheelchairs can be provided.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen)BAA has worked closely with the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and with the Department of Transport on the development of both facilities and services to meet the needs of the very large numbers of disabled passengers who travel through Heathrow every year.
The responsibility for ground handling arrangements at airports is, however, complex. I have asked departmental officials to follow up with the parties involved to investigate what can be done to tackle this specific problem.