§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's policy is on improving facilities for cinema-goers with impaired(a) hearing and (b) sight; and what funding has been made available to improve services. [160814]
§ Estelle MorrisThe UK Film Council announced on 15 September 2003 the launch of a Cinema Access Programme to improve access to cinemas by people with hearing and sight impairments. £500,000 of lottery money has been allocated to this programme, of which £350,000 is being used to supply up to 75 local cinemas across England with subtitling and audio-description equipment; £60,000 is funding the provision of subtitled and audio-described film prints for use in cinemas; £50,000 is funding the development of a website providing information on when and where subtitled or audio-described films will be seen; and £40,000 is supporting research and development into a personal captioning device to work alongside existing digital systems.