§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the number of premises at which the provision access for disabled people would be commercially unviable. [38385]
§ Maria EagleI have been asked to reply.
In order to comply with the physical access duties under Part III of the DDA that come into force in October 2004, service providers will only have to make changes to premises that are reasonable. Several factors are considered in determining reasonableness, including the cost of the adjustments, its practicality, and the service provider's resources. There is no question of unreasonable costs being imposed on businesses.