§ Lord Carterasked her Majesty's Government:
Why the White Paper Fairness for All was not available in formats accessible for disabled people at the same time as the publication of the original documents. [HL2836]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleThe Government published the White PaperFairness for All: A New Commission for Equality and Human Rights on Wednesday 12 May 2004. The White Paper sets out our proposals for a new body to meet the challenges we must overcome if we are to end discrimination and promote respect for human rights.
The White Paper was not available in different formats for disabled people at the same time as publication of the original document due to the extra production time required to publish the document in accessible formats.
130WAVersions of the document in Braille, large print, other languages, for people with learning difficulties or on audio cassette are available on request.
The Government welcome the early constructive response of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) to our proposals. We owe a debt of gratitude to the DRC and other disability organisations for their positive engagement and contributions to the process that have led to the specific provisions regarding disability in the White Paper.
DTI officials are working closely with disability organisations to ensure that awareness and availability of the White Paper is widespread among people with disabilities.