§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to legislate to give OFTEL the power to require BT and other telecom providers to make available (i) textphones and (ii) similar items of equipment to their customers. [6452]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 9 July 1997]: My Department has no plans at present to introduce legislation to give OFTEL such powers. There is a competitive market developing for provision of such equipment with features that would benefit those people with special needs. I also understand that the Typetalk service is currently the subject of discussions between the Director-General for Telecommunications, BT and Typetalk which are likely to result in a significant improvement in service. My officials will continue to maintain their close contacts with the UK organisations representing people with special needs.