§ Mr. BerryTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on his Department's policies of the goods and services provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to be implemented in October 1999. [71264]
§ Ms HewittThe Department's current policies, procedures and practices are under review with a view to ensuring that they will be fully compliant with the goods and services provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act by October 1999. The Treasury provides few direct services to the public—our main service is the provision of information either through our Website, publications or the Public Enquiry Unit.
To consider our compliance with the provisions on physical access, we instructed the building managing agents to undertake a full disability audit. The details of their report are currently being considered.
On access to communications, we have been in contact with Central Office of Information's Informability Unit to consider compliance with the Act in respect of our printed and electronic (website) publications. We propose to use the Unit to provide information in alternative formats (eg such as braille conversion, audio tapes etc.) where required. Advice will also be taken from Central Office of Information's Informability Unit on the possibility of making our telephone-based public inquiry service accessible to people who are deaf of have impaired hearing and to people with speech impairments.