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In this Report
Commons Written Answers
25 January 2007
Deaf People: Interpreters
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that the national guidance laid down by his Department on language service professionals for deaf people in the criminal justice system results in access to the justice system for deaf people
Mr. McNulty: The revised national agreement on the use of interpreters in the Criminal Justice System will give clear guidance on identifying the right mode of access and communication for a deaf person and on finding an appropriate language service professional. The text will be sent to all criminal justice agencies, and it is their responsibility to ensure that the guidance is implemented appropriately.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to create a national single contact register of language service professionals for deaf people available to police constabularies on a 24-hour basis.
Mr. McNulty: The Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People already provides a searchable register of language service professionals. The database is available to subscribers on a 24-hour basis. The revised national agreement will provide additional guidance on other sources of language services professionals to assist in communication with deaf people in the criminal justice system.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to define interpreters as regards deaf people to mean those as appropriate to the communication needs of a deaf person, to include language service professionals who are BSL/English interpreters, lipspeakers, deaf blind interpreters and speech to text reporters.
Mr. McNulty: Section 13 of PACE Code C states that wherever possible, interpreters for the deaf are drawn from the Directory of BSL/English interpreters.
However, we are content to consider amending this Section of PACE Code C in any future revision of the Codes of Practice, and lipspeakers, deaf blind interpreters and speech to text reporters will be added to the Register of Changes which is found on the Home Office PACE Codes web page.
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/powers-pace-codes/pace-code-intro/
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps police constabularies are taking to meet their duties to deaf people under the Disability Discrimination Acts and the Disability Equality Duty;
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent to which delays take place in police stations when a deaf detainee is being processed because of the time taken to find a British Sign Language/English interpreter or lipspeaker;
(3) if he will take steps to ensure that all language service professionals attending police stations are provided with (a) the Police and Criminal Evidence Act guidelines Code of Practice A-G and (b) other essential documents of police procedure;
(4) how many people (a) with and (b) without a hearing disability were processed at police stations in the last 12 months.
Mr. McNulty: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for individual chief police officers.
PACE is available online at:
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/powers-pace-codes/pace-code-intro/.
23 January 2007
Lord Ashley of Stoke to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will give an assurance that the digital switchover will not lead to extra difficulties for deaf and hard of hearing and visually impaired people in receiving or accessing television access services.
22 January 2007
Written Answers to Questions
M rs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which further education colleges are offering Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) British Sign Language beginners courses at Level One and Level Two in the 2006-07 academic year; and how many such colleges have stopped providing CACDP British Sign Language beginners courses at Level One and Level Two since his Department withdrew funding for British Sign Language classes.
We do not hold information on the individual courses offered by further education colleges. However, in line with the commitments in the LSC's annual statement of priorities we expect that the proportion of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities will be maintained.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many deaf tutors of British Sign Language have been made redundant due to the withdrawal of funding for British Sign Language classes in further education colleges.
Bill Rammell: We have not withdrawn funding for sign language courses and these courses remain eligible for funding from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). We have been clear that provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with hearing impairments, remains a priority as was stated in both the grant letter to the LSC for 2007-08 and the LSC's annual statement of priorities.
We do not hold information on the staff employed by further education colleges. Further education colleges are independent bodies responsible for recruiting their own staff and determining, with regard to all appropriate legislation, their employment practices.
Oral Answers
16 January 2007
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department is consulting (a) deaf people and (b) language service professionals for deaf people in the review by the Office of Criminal Justice Reform of the national guidance laid down by his Department regarding all interpreters in the criminal justice system.
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Office for Criminal Justice Reform consulted representative bodies throughout its review of the National Guidance. Views of bodies representing deaf people and language services professionals were also sought on the draft guidance. The new agreement will reflect the input received from both groups.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaf detainees were bailed due to failure to find a suitably qualified British Sign Language/English interpreter or lipspeaker in the last period for which figures are provided.
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally; data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on police and court remands does not include information on the reasons for bail being granted or refused.
House of CommonsLip Reading and Sign Language Training
That this House notes that the Government does not provide free lip reading and sign language classes to all learners on the basis that they are not basic skills; acknowledges that lip reading and signing are vital means of communication for those with serious hearing impairments, their families and their carers; and calls on the Government to review the classification of lip reading and sign language courses with a view to redefining them as basic skills.
Commons Written Answers
16 January 2007
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will reclassify British Sign Language as a British language rather than as a learning for leisure course in further education colleges.
Mrs. McGuire: Access to work advisers are required to look at each case individually and identify the most suitable and cost effective solution in agreement with the customer and their employer. Advisers use a number of standard questions to determine both the number of British sign language interpreters required and what their minimum qualification level should be.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions there are under the access to work scheme for deaf clients, using British Sign Language as a preferred language, who require more than one interpreter for appointments for longer than two hours.
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 18 December 2006]: For appointments lasting between two and three hours, advisers are asked to look at the structure and length of the meeting, including any breaks, to decide whether the provision of one or two interpreters is most appropriate. Policy guidance has recently been strengthened and it is now standard practice to provide two interpreters for meetings over three hours in length.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) necessary qualifications are required by and (b) training is provided for access to work advisers.
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 18 December 2006]: There are no formal qualification requirements for access to work advisers. Any adviser posts are filled through a competency based system in line with any other Department for Work and Pensions vacancies.
New access to work advisers are required to undertake a training programme consisting of a four-day course specifically about access to work and a two-day module covering general disability awareness and how to work with customers with specific disabilities and health conditions.
Questions for Oral or Written Answer
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will take steps to protect the professional title of language service professionals for deaf people, including (a) BSL/English interpreters, (b) lipspeakers, (c) deaf-blind interpreters and (d) speech to text reporters.
Supplement to the House of Commons Votes and Proceedings
PETITION FROM PARENTS OF CHILDRN ATTENDING MEDSTEAD CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL AND OTHERS
19th December 2006
To the House of Commons.
The Petition of parents of children attending Medstead Church of England Primary School and others,
Declares that our Provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired (HI) Children at Medstead C of E (Controlled) Primary School is under threat of closure by Hampshire County Council. Parents of hearing children as well as parents of deaf and HI feel that the school is "a Centre of Excellence" for its deaf and HI children in a mainstream school system. There are many things deaf and HI children can get at Medstead School that are not found elsewhere, particularly inclusive provision of extracurricular activities - several after school sports, totally inclusive music and drama productions and the year 5 skiing trip to name a few examples as well as the Church, Brownies, Beavers and Cubs and other community activities which take place.
The Council also suggest that there is no pre-school provision in the area, yet Medstead Pre-School which is set within the grounds of the school already provides an excellent advice and communication support service for deaf and HI children and their families. This helps enormously in the transfer to Medstead Primary school, but because this is a charity and not council-run, provision is not recognised. Parents of Deaf and HI children continue to choose Medstead for their children ahead of other provision in the County. This is because they have weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of travelling long distances and keeping a group of friends locally or between primary with the benefits to their children's communication skills and confidence of attending Medstead Primary and have chosen the latter. The fact that this choice represents parents' priorities for their children should hold weight in the consideration of not closing down this excellent provision.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to ensure that the Provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired (HI) Children at Medstead C of E (Controlled) Primary School is not closed.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
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