§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Communications Act 2003 on access by disabled people to modern communication technologies. [137911]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Communications Act only received Royal Assent on 17 July 2003. It is too early to assess the impact. The Communications Act contains specific measures to improve access to modern communications technologies for disabled users. The Universal Service Order made under the Communications Act sets out specific obligations on access to communications services for disabled users. Ofcom has responsibility to ensure compliance with these obligations. Section 10 of320W the Communications Act creates a new duty on Ofcom to encourage the availability of easily usable apparatus for all consumers, including disabled users, and sections 303 to 308 deal with the provision of television services for the deaf or visually impaired. Ofcom will report on the progress it has made in these areas as part of its annual report.