UK Council on Deafness

December 2002 Parliamentary Report

Lords Written Answers (2 Dec 2002)
Hearing Aid Services

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they know when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will complete and report on its review of the Institute of Hearing Research project to modernise hearing aid services; and what form this review will take.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:
The Institute of Hearing Research is undertaking a research project on behalf of the Department of Health which we expect to report in early 2003. Once this report has been made available we will consider whether it is appropriate for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to undertake any further work on this topic.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many of the existing sites chosen for the second phase of the Modernising Hearing Aid Services project are currently fitting digital hearing aids.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:
The process of modernisation has begun in all sites chosen for the second phase of the project. Site visits have been completed, equipment needs and additional funding determined and agreed. In addition, the vast majority have now received their equipment. Four of the second wave sites are now regularly prescribing digital hearing aids, and that number will be increasing on a monthly basis. The Royal National Institute of Deaf People is co-ordinating the project on our behalf and expects the majority of the sites to be prescribing digital aids by the end of January 2003.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the demands of leading edge technology, what plans are in place to improve the skills of existing technicians in the National Health Service's hearing aid service who will be needed to fit digital hearing aids now that there are plans to make these available to National Health Service patients.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:
Training has been incorporated as an integral part of the process of modernising hearing aid services. Staff at each site will be trained to use the information technology and audiological equipment when they join the project. In addition, some National Health Service trusts have already provided training for their own staff and are already able to access the digital hearing aids contract without being part of the project.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates have been made of the need for additional highly skilled technical staff to be recruited and trained to fit new digital hearing aids successfully; and what plans have been made to close the skills gap that is likely during the years before new graduates start working in this area.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:
The staffing and training requirements of a modernised hearing aid service providing digital hearing aids, is being analysed as part of the Modernising Hearing Aid Services Project. The analysis of the project will be completed early in the new year. Provision for additional staff and training has been made in the funding allocations to each of the sites participating in the Modernising Hearing Aid Services Project. In addition, the Department of Health is carrying forward work on skill mix, recruitment and retention of staff in audiology departments.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the pilot private finance initiative schemes with private hearing aid consultants currently in operation; and whether they intend to develop these further.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:
The small pilot project involving high street retailers in the supply of National Health Service digital hearing aids in Shrewsbury and Leeds is not yet completed. However, preliminary results suggest that it can be worth while involving the private sector in the provision of NHS hearing aids.

Commons Written Answers (2 Dec 2002)
Disabled People's Rights

Mr. Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions the Ministerial Taskforce on Civil Rights for Disabled People has met since its establishment; and if he will list its membership.

Angela Eagle: The Disability Rights Task Force met 17 times between 16 December 1997 and 15 November 1999. It no longer exists but its membership when it completed its work was as follows:

Chair: Margaret Hodge-Minister for Disabled People
Stephen Alambritis-Federation of Small Businesses
Bob Benson-Disability Scotland
Jane Campbell-National Centre for Independent Living
Elizabeth Clarke-former Business Research Officer, Institute of Directors
Caroline Gooding-Trade Union Disability Alliance
David Grayson-National Disability Council
Rachel Hurst-Rights Now
David Jenkins-Wales Trade Union Council
Su Jenkins-Member, Confederation of British Industry
Brian Lamb-SCOPE
Colin Low-Royal National Institute of the Blind
Joe Mann-National League for the Blind and Disabled
Bert Massie-The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation
Brian Pomeroy-Deloitte and Touche Consulting Group
Philippa Russell-Council for Disabled Children
Liz Sayce-former Policy Director, Mind (National Association for Mental Health
Susan Scott-Parker-Employers' Forum on Disability
Ranjit Sondhi-former Deputy Chairman, Commission for Racial Equality
James Strachan-The Royal National Institute for Deaf People
Richard Taylor-Lifespan Healthcare NHS Trust
Roy Taylor-Community Services, Kingston-upon-Thames Local Authority
Keith Welton-Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd
Monica Wilson-Disability Action (Northern Ireland)
Richard Wood-British Council of Organisations of Disabled People

The titles and organisations named are those relating to the members' positions at the time.

Commons Written Answers (2 Dec 2002)
Deaf Children (Education)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what steps are being taken to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing children can access the deaf accommodation model of inclusion in education; (2) what steps are being taken on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing children to ensure that they are placed in mainstream schools with a significant deaf peer group.
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Local education authorities make provision for deaf and hearing impaired children in a range of settings appropriate to their own needs and preferences and the preferences of their parents. Placement can be in a mainstream class, with or without a learning resource base for the deaf and hearing impaired, a maintained special school, or an independent or non-maintained special school. Specialist teachers and support staff play a key role in ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils. The law requires specialist teachers of the deaf to have an additional qualification equivalent to the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People Stage 1 qualification. Tools such as the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education's Index for Inclusion, which was sent to all schools in April 2000, can be used to identify barriers to learning and participation. Early indications are that schools adopting this sort of approach have seen standards rise for all their pupils. Suitable accommodation must be available. The Department has already published Building Bulletin 94, Inclusive School Design, which provides guidance on accommodating pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools. Consultations are currently taking place on a further building bulletin focusing on the acoustic design of schools.

Commons Hansard (3 Dec 2002)
Communications Bill

Mr. Whittingdale: The Bill contains welcome measures to strengthen the requirements on broadcasters to ensure that their programmes are accessible to the deaf and the visually impaired. In some cases, we believe that more can be done, particularly in terms of publicising the availability of subtitling and promoting design that is easily used by disabled people and those with sight problems. We also look forward to amendments being tabled by the Government to strengthen the rights of independent producers. The ITC has produced a report on the programme supply market that has been widely welcomed by the industry. It is now for the Government to act on it. Finally, I come to the glaring omission in the Bill. The creation of a single independent regulator for our broadcast media is fatally flawed as long as the biggest and most powerful broadcaster is not fully within its remit. In recent months, the BBC has become steadily more commercial and has strayed further and further from its public service remit. Its commercial activities, undertaken by BBC Worldwide, now compete directly with private companies through television channels such as UK History, through its publications, and even through its provision of educational software. At the same time, through the licence fee, it competes with the commercial sector for film rights, and finances channels such as News 24 and BBC 3, which appear to be carbon copies of existing commercial stations. All complaints about the BBC's activities, however, must be made to and adjudicated by the BBC. It is indefensible that when every other broadcaster is subject to independent scrutiny and regulation, the BBC should be exempt from it. Bringing the BBC fully within the scope of Ofcom is supported by the whole commercial sector. It is supported by the BBC's former chairman, Lord Hussey, and by Lord Bragg. It is extraordinary that, on this point, the Government appear to have listened only to the seductive voice of the BBC.
This is generally a good Bill, and we do not intend to oppose it. Even though it has already been subjected to much scrutiny, its size, scope and importance mean that it is essential that it should receive proper detailed consideration in Committee, which we intend to ensure.

Commons Written Answers (9 Dec 2002)
Deafness

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England and Wales are deaf in one ear.

Jacqui Smith: While the Department does not collect that information, the Institute of Hearing Research recently conducted a survey of ear, nose and throat conditions. This suggested that around 17 people in every 1,000 have moderate to severe hearing difficulty or no hearing at all in one ear, but no difficulty in the other ear.

Commons Written Answers (10 Dec 2002)
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Broadcasting Standards

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to regulate the provision of subtitles, signing and audio-description of broadcasts to ensure the maintenance of quality standards.

Dr. Howells: The Communications Bill gives Ofcom a requirement to produce, publish and from time to time review, a code relating to provision of television services for the deaf and visually impaired and the means by which such services should be promoted. The code will include guidance on the technical standards to be attained for subtitling, signing and audio description as the current code produced by the Independent Television Commission does.

Commons Written Answers (10 Dec 2002)
Mental Health

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what performance targets his Department sets for monitoring mental health services to deaf people.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has just concluded a wide consultation of mental health services for deaf people. Together with an expert group, it is considering the large number of responses received and will publish conclusions in the New Year. The arrangements for monitoring performance will be considered as part of this.

Commons Written Answers (11 Dec 2002)
Deaf Children (Mental Health)

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on mental health services for deaf children in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement on his Department's strategy for mental health services for deaf children.

Jacqui Smith: The mental health in-patient service for deaf children, adolescents and their families was dedicated as a national specialist service in April 1998 and has received departmental funding as follows:

1998-99: £640,000
1999-2000: £820,000
2000-01: £1.4 million
2001-02: £1.581 million

Details are also available on expenditure on the designated out-patient service for children and adolescents, the deaf child and family services provided by the South West London and St. George's Mental Health National Health Service Trust. This is shown in the following table. Information on spending on other services for deaf children, in other localities, is not collected centrally.

Deaf Child and Family Services-Out-patient South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust

1997-98
Child 323,763
Family 50,525

1998-99
Child 375,406
Family 38,732

1999-2000
Child 452,341
Family 24,696

2000-01
Child 429,684
Family 19,900

Commons Written Answers (11 Dec 2002)
Benefit Applications (Signing)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

(1) if he will provide funding to allow existing Jobcentre Plus staff to receive British Sign Language training; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what improvements the Government intends making to the availability of British Sign Language interpreters at (a) Jobcentre Plus offices and (b) other Government offices; and if he will make a statement;

(3) if he will make a statement on the availability of British Sign Language interpreters at (a) Jobcentre plus offices and (b) other Government offices; and if he will make a statement;

(4) if he will set up full time mobile British Sign Language interpreter posts to cover offices in rural areas and to assist in benefit application procedures in their home where necessary; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Both Jobcentre Plus and The Pensions Service are committed to providing a British Sign Language interpreter for anyone who requires one to carry out their business with us. Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentre Plus offices can also take up British Sign Language training.

Interpreters can be arranged both for office appointments and for home visits, for example in rural areas. Interviews and home visits using a British Sign Language interpreter are arranged as soon as a suitable interpreter is available. Similar arrangements are available at other Government offices.

We are continuously examining possible service improvements and Jobcentre Plus is currently in discussion with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf about improving further the service available to deaf customers.

Standing Committee (12 Dec 2002)
Communications Bill

Mr. John Whittingdale (Maldon and East Chelmsford): I shall not detain the Committee very long, but I wanted to add one or two comments to the speech made by my hon. Friend the Member for Ryedale, who moved the amendment. In his response, the Minister will probably say that the Bill already includes provision for Ofcom to take account of the needs of disable people. That is undoubtedly true-see clause 3(3)(i). However, disabled people are concerned that their needs form only one of three categories in one of 13 different factors that Ofcom will have to take into account. Our purpose is to strengthen the need for Ofcom to bear in mind the wants and needs of disabled people. That is the purpose of many of the amendments. We will not necessarily press all of them, but we want the Minister to put on record that Ofcom must always have that important need at the front of its mind. Much has been achieved already through the advance of technology. Digital television has enabled subtitling to be available on a wide scale, and many broadcasters have woken up to the fact that it is in their commercial interests to provide it. We are told that 1 million people use subtitling whenever they can, and 5 million people use it frequently. It may not only be deaf people who use it, but people who find it difficult to understand English. That is why broadcasters have seen a commercial interest to provide it. The needs of people who are blind or partially sighted are a little harder to meet. Audio description technology is available, but often expensive to provide. I am reluctant to impose a great burden on small companies, especially those that might find it difficult to meet the cost of providing additional audio description. I am reluctant to mandate provision, but if it is possible to provide the technology at a cost that is not enormous, we should encourage it. I do not want Ofcom suddenly to extend its powers into the manufacture of electronic apparatus and remote controls, because that would represent a huge expansion. We must concentrate on promoting awareness.

New clause 5 relates to inclusive design. It is important because as more and more happens on our screens, the inability to access material on screen will make life harder and harder. It is important to make access to material on screen as easy as possible for people who might have difficulty. Inclusive design is an important way of doing that, which is why new clause 5 contains terms such as ''bring about'' and ''encourage''. The new clause's purpose is not to mandate but to urge the industry that is responsible for manufacturing items to bear in mind that some people will find it very difficult to manipulate small keys or read small text. It might be quite easy to do something to meet those needs. I have outlined the purpose of the amendments. As I said, we might not press them, but it is important to put on record the fact that the issue with which they deal is vital to many people.

The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Dr. Kim Howells): I welcome the points raised by the hon. Members for Ryedale, for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Allan) and for Maldon and East Chelmsford (Mr. Whittingdale). The Government are committed to an inclusive society. That is a central tenet of our policies and it is right that the Committee should thoroughly discuss of the interests of persons with disabilities, the elderly and people on low incomes. Although the Bill has been subject to mild criticism-nothing more than that-I believe that I can show that we are ensuring that the interests of several of the most vulnerable groups in our society are taken into account.

Clause 3(3)(i) requires Ofcom to have regard to the needs of persons with disabilities, the elderly and people on low incomes when performing all its general duties. Clause 16(4) requires Ofcom to ensure that when appointing members to the consumer panel, the panel will be able to give informed advice about, among other things, ''the interests of disadvantaged persons, persons with low incomes and persons with disabilities''.

Clause 16(6) gives the consumer panel a duty to have regard to such people. Clause 24(3) gives Ofcom a duty in relation to employment in broadcasting and training ''to take all . . . steps as they consider appropriate for promoting the fair treatment of disabled persons''.

Clause 325 requires holders of broadcasting licences who meet the thresholds to promote the fair treatment of persons with disabilities.

Clause 293 requires Ofcom to draw up, publish and ensure compliance with a code giving guidance on the extent to which television services ''should promote . . . understanding and enjoyment by . . . persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and . . . blind or partially-sighted'' and the means by which that should be promoted. The code will apply to all licensed broadcasters including, for the first time, cable and satellite broadcasters. I will set out the targets for the codes because they are important: 80 per cent. of all programmes and 90 per cent. of programmes on Channels 3 and 4 are to be subtitled; 5 per cent. of programmes are to be signed; and 10 per cent. of programmes are to be audio-described. I will say more about that last one in a moment because the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam has raised the issue. It is an important matter and one that I am worried about.

We want those targets to be met by the 10th anniversary of the start of the service or of the commencement of these provisions for cable and satellite broadcasters-who, by the way, have been extremely co-operative. They have been pioneering in some of their work and have been doing things off their own backs, which has been refreshing. The universal service order, a draft form of which will be available shortly, aims to safeguard the interests of disabled end users and to ensure access to, and the affordability of, publicly available telephone services that are equivalent to those enjoyed by all other end users.

The hon. Members for Ryedale and for Sheffield, Hallam spoke about audio-description models. We are making a lot of progress in other fields but I am worried about that one. I do not know what has happened over the years, but there seems to be a disruption between, on the one hand, the Royal National Institute of the Blind and other groups who represent the interests of people who are blind or who lack some visual faculty, and, on the other hand, the manufacturers and the Government.

About eight months ago, I pulled together a seminar of everybody involved and I was quite shocked at the lack of progress. I do not think that that is anyone's fault, but it is a problem. Part of the problem is in defining the market. How many people would want to buy such a service? How much would it cost? What about affordability and the right to access the service? Technical issues arise and I hope that Ofcom will ensure that progress is made. As I say, I was surprised and disappointed that progress had not been made in recent years.

Lords Written Answers (18 Dec 2002)
Acrophobia

Lord Norton of Louth asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, and in what circumstances, people suffering from acrophobia are treated as disabled.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:
The question of the definition of disability is a complex one. The Department of Health does not maintain a definitive list of conditions that it recognises as disabilities. There are two main definitions in current legislation which the department uses. The National Assistance Act 1948 defines disability as "persons who are blind, deaf, or dumb, or who suffer from mental disorder of any description, and other persons aged 18 or over who are substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity . . ". Councils usually rely on this definition when providing services under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. The other definition of disability is within the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which defines a disabled person as someone "with a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out day-to-day activities." Whether or not an individual suffering from acrophobia would be regarded as being disabled under either or both of these legal definitions would depend on the severity of the condition and the way in which it manifested itself. Access to other elements of support for disabled people, for example benefits or transport concessions, may rely on different criteria, being specific to those benefits or concessions.

Bill Amendments (19 Dec 2002)
Amendments proposed to the Communications Bill

Mr Simon Thomas

Clause 60, page 60, line 31, at end insert -

'(g) television services for the deaf and visually impaired so far as provided in digital form.'.

Commons Written Answers (19 Dec 2002)
Television Subtitling

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer given on 4 July, Official Report, column 514W, on television subtitling, whether the code produced by Ofcom relating to the provision of television services for deaf and visually impaired people will include specific guidance on the presentation of subtitles.
Dr. Howells [holding answer 18 December 2002]: The code relating to the provision of television services for the deaf and visually impaired, to be produced by Ofcom, will include guidance on the technical standards to be attained for subtitling. We would expect the code to include aspects of style and presentation, as the ITC code currently does.

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