§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to introduce an indicator for disability access friendly services within the tourism sector [124767]
39W
§ Mr. CabornThe Tourism For All National Accessibility Standard was agreed in 1993 as a mechanism for assessing the accessibility of tourist accommodation, both serviced and self-catering, and to help operators promote these facilities. It was reviewed, expanded and relaunched as the National Accessible Scheme in 2002.
§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what types of incentives are available for tourism-related small businesses that are renovating their premises to improve access for people with disabilities [124768]
§ Mr. CabornIn October 2004 the final phase of Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 comes into force. Organisations that provide a service to the public, which includes most small businesses in the tourism sector, are required to tackle physical features that make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled customer to use their service.
However, the DDA only requires service providers to make "reasonable" adjustments. The Act allows flexibility for service providers in considering how to make their services accessible to disabled people. All circumstances would be considered when interpreting what is "reasonable", including the cost of an adjustment, its practicality, and the extent of a service provider's resources. What might be considered reasonable for a national hotel chain may not be so for a small guesthouse. Financial incentives should not therefore be needed, apart from the clear business case for providing good service for disabled people and their family and friends, whose overall annual spending power is estimated at £45 billion.