HC Deb 10 July 1998 vol 315 cc680-1W
Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the timetable for the review of the exemption of small employers under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [50026]

Mr. Alan Howarth

Section 7 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires that a review of the effects of the small employer exemption threshold must be completed within 9 months. I announced such a review on 3 December 1997,Official Report, column 243. We have been analysing the responses to the public consultation exercise which ended on 2 March 1998 and hope to announce a decision shortly. Any change to the threshold has to be made within one year of the review commencing.

Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will list by Government department the timetables for the auditing activity undertaken in connection with Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; [50027]

(2) if he will publish the areas covered by disability access audits of Government department buildings. [50028]

Mr. Alan Howarth

The Disability Discrimination Act does not place a specific duty on service providers to conduct disability access audits of their premises. Access audits are, however, in many cases highly effective means of helping service providers to ensure that their premises comply with the requirements of the Act. Government departments have been made aware of the benefits of conducting audits and future guidance to them on implementing the remaining provisions of Part III of the Act will re-emphasise this advice.

The specific information requested is not held centrally and, since Government departments and agencies occupy many tens of thousands of premises, could be collected only at disproportionate cost. However, as I described in my reply to the hon. Member on 6 July 1998, Official Report, columns 391–99, departments are well aware of their duties under the legislation and are pressing ahead, in a variety of ways reflecting their particular circumstances, to ensure that they meet the provisions of the Act including those on premises.