§ Lord Norton of Louthasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of the population is believed to suffer from acrophobia; and to what extent the needs of those suffering from acrophobia are taken into account in the design of public buildings. [HL4300]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)The Department of Health do not collect statistics on the number of people suffering from acrophobia, so I regret that I cannot provide this information.
The design of new buildings in England and Wales is covered by the Building Regulations 1991. They are applicable to public buildings except those belonging to statutory undertakers and to the Crown. There are no provisions made specifically for the benefit of those suffering from acrophobia. However, the regulations require that any hazards such as stairs, ramps, balconies, and any roof to which people have access, should be protected by barriers where it is necessary to protect people from falling. These may provide a measure of security for sufferers of acrophobia.
Year 1991/92 1992/93 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 Cases Brought 3,593 3,405 2,289 3,308 4,297 5,535 8,950 11,101 Dismissed 37 56 34 42 47 42 66 79 Withdrawn 660 463 389 649 425 560 805 961 Successful Cases 2,896 2,886 1,866 2,617 3,825 4,933 8,079 10,061 Statistics relating to cases from 1981 to 1991 are not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionable cost.