§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on actions taken by(a) her Department, (b) other Government departments and (c) education providers in connection with the introduction of disability rights to post-16 education. [74667]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 15 October 2002]The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) exempted educational institutions from its provisions. Through the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, my Department has plugged an unacceptable gap in the DDA to include all bodies responsible for Further and Higher Education and LEA-secured adult and community education, within its provisions.
We are implementing the new duties in three stages:
From 1 September 2002 it is unlawful to discriminate against disabled students by treating them less favourably than others. In addition, responsible bodies have a duty to provide reasonable adjustments to provision where disabled students might otherwise be substantially disadvantaged.
878W
Number of Three and Four Year Olds1,2 in Maintained Nursery and Primary Schools January 2002 (Provisional) Pupils in nursery schools and nursery classes Pupils in infant classes in primary schools3 All pupils under 5 in nursery and primary schools ENGLAND 341,221 357,496 698,717 NORTH EAST 28,990 19,452 48,442 Darlington 1,214 798 2,012 Durham 5,279 3,686 8,965 Gateshead 1,837 1,422 3,259 Hartlepool 1,248 740 1,988 Middlesbrough 2,166 1,185 3,351 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,488 1,860 4,348 North Tyneside 2,336 1,499 3,835 Northumberland 2,880 2,410 5,290 Redcar and Cleveland 2,031 1,077 3,108 South Tyneside 1,821 1,184 3,005 Stockton-on-Tees 2,330 1,451 3,781 Sunderland 3,360 2,140 5,500 NORTH WEST 54,226 53,532 107,758 Blackburn with Darwen 1,363 1,358 2,721 Blackpool 428 1,094 1,522 Bolton 2,721 2,215 4,936 Bury 1,527 1,390 2,917 Cheshire 3,073 4,999 8,072 Cumbria 3,314 3,520 6,834 Halton 815 937 1,752 Knowsley 2,438 1,309 3,747 Lancashire 5,817 8,737 14,554 Liverpool 4,756 3,390 8,146 Manchester 5,368 3,448 8,816 Oldham 2,198 2,075 4,273 Rochdale 1,904 1,778 3,682 Salford 2,442 1,863 4,305 Sefton 2,566 2,118 4,684 St. Helens 1,479 1,414 2,893 Stockport 2,378 2,164 4,542 Tameside 2,173 1,820 3,993 Trafford 2,120 1,620 3,740 Warrington 1,253 1,558 2,811 Wigan 1,986 2,342 4,328 Wirral 2,107 2,383 4,490
From 1 September 2003 responsible bodies will have a duty to make adjustments involving the provision of auxiliary aids and services.From 1 September 2005 responsible bodies will have a duty to make adjustments to physical features of premises where these put disabled students at a substantial disadvantage.My Department is working with the Disability Rights Commission, the Learning and Skills Council, the Higher Education Funding Council and other partners in the post-16 sector, to support providers in implementing the new duties with additional funding and guidance. £172m has been allocated over the years 2002–04.