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Ian Pearson [holding answer 14 May 2009]: Ofcom have recently moved to Stage Two of a comparative selection process for the first three harmonised, pan-European 116 numbers for services of social value. At this stage-in a detailed assessment of applicants-Ofcom will be looking at how the bidding organisations address equality and diversity issues in their own workplaces, and how they will address equality and diversity in both relationships with callers and in promoting the services they offer. Bidding service provider (SP)/communications provider (CP) partnerships will also be required at this stage of the scrutiny to present on how they will handle calls from non-English speakers and citizens who cannot communicate effectively through the spoken word. The selection advisory committee can also stipulate and monitor conditions attached to the allocation and use of the number that will ensure ease of accessibility for all potential users of the service.

Ofcom published a response to the public consultation on allocation and charging for 116 numbers in the UK-which included representations from the deaf, hard of hearing and sign language user communities. This response, including an Impact and Equality assessment, is available on their website. Separately, Ofcom has recently launched a consultation "Access and Inclusion" which commits "to ensuring that disabled people can access communications services on an equivalent basis to others and propose to work to tackle the most critical issues that they face. This will include assessing the policy case for improving the existing text relay service".

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Lords Hansard
Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill
Tuesday, 2 June 2009

For full version of the reading click here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldhansrd/text/90602-0002.htm

Baroness Wilkins: My Lords, as many noble Lords have pointed out, this is a wide-ranging Bill, which has been demonstrated by the variety of contributions. I particularly welcome the fact that the needs of children with special educational needs feature prominently in the Bill. I shall concentrate on their concerns, particularly on apprenticeships and school environments. These issues have been raised with me by the National Deaf Children's Society, to which I am grateful for information. I shall be brief.

The Government can be truly proud of their commitment to the school rebuilding programme, but there is one area that is causing serious concern. It is the importance of acoustics in schools. As the NDCS's Sounds Good?campaign has revealed, new school buildings are being built in which it is very difficult for deaf children to listen and learn effectively. Children cannot learn if they cannot listen effectively, and teachers cannot teach if they cannot be heard effectively. This is true for all children, but especially so for deaf children, for whom high quality acoustics are essential.
Over 80 per cent of deaf children now attend mainstream schools, so any classroom could be one in which a deaf child is learning. Research has shown that primary school children with special educational needs are disproportionately affected in reading and spelling when there is background noise in the classroom. To achieve the Government's aims of creating a highly skilled workforce, we need to make sure that all classrooms are as inclusive as possible.

Billions of pounds are currently being spent on new school buildings through, for example, the Building Schools for the Futureprogramme. We should be outraged if, after all this spending, new school buildings are being built in which the acoustics are not fit for purpose for children with special educational needs. Yet the National Deaf Children's Society has repeatedly come across examples of new schools with poor listening environments, and a wide range of organisations share those concerns. In PricewaterhouseCoopers's evaluation of the Building Schools for the Futureprogramme for rebuilding secondary schools, between 26 and 40 per cent of teachers from four brand-new schools stated that the acoustics were not good enough. Sadly, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has conducted no audit of acoustics in new school buildings.

Government guidance exists on this, and is set out in Building Bulletin 93. The Building Regulations 2000 and the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 set out the need for acoustics that are appropriate for the intended use of the classroom. However, there is no mandatory requirement anywhere in guidance or legislation to conduct acoustic testing. A simple recommendation to do acoustic testing is not enough. There needs to be a mandatory requirement for testing of the acoustics in all new primary and secondary school buildings. Acoustic testing is not expensive. The NDCS estimates that it costs around 0.01 per cent of the cost of a new school building, which is a minute price to pay for ensuing that schools are inclusive.

This matter was raised while the Bill was considered in the other place, and I understand that the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Communities and Local Government are currently reviewing Building Bulletin93.

I am aware that the NDCS has had a number of helpful meetings with officials. It has been told that the introduction of a mandatory requirement is outside the scope of the review. Officials have spoken about introducing a new template contract for local authorities participating in building schools for the future. However, this is just a template contract; it is not mandatory; and it does not apply to primary schools where good acoustics are vital for language development.

The only way forward appears to be a legislative amendment to the building regulations or the Education (School Premises) Regulations. I should welcome a commitment from the Minister that an amendment will be considered to these pieces of legislation to introduce a requirement to make sure that acoustics are fit for purpose. Schools need to be inclusive environments for all. There is little point in building lots of new schools that look good if they do not sound good too.

I turn to the matter of apprenticeships. Clause 89 establishes a new duty on the chief executive of the National Apprenticeship Service to create a scheme whereby it will secure sufficient apprenticeship places for every suitably qualified young person who wants one. Clause 93 sets out the qualifications required to take part in the scheme. This includes a GCSE in English to participate in a level 2 apprenticeship and a GCSE at grade C in English to participate in a level 3 apprenticeship. As the noble Lord, Lord Rix, has pointed out, this blanket requirement has led to serious concerns that unnecessary barriers may have been created in enabling deaf and other young people with special educational needs to participate in the scheme. For example, a blanket requirement for a GCSE in English may disadvantage a deaf candidate whose first language is British sign language.

These blanket requirements will be applied regardless of whether it is a necessary competence for that individual apprenticeship. I appreciate that it is possible to conduct an apprenticeship outside the scheme. However, that is not the point. Under the public sector duty of the Disability Discrimination Act the Government have a duty to ensure their apprentice scheme is accessible to disabled people. They also have a duty to treat disabled people more favourably in order to achieve equality. A blanket requirement, which may not be relevant to all apprenticeships, will disadvantage disabled people. The duty to promote disability is not served by such requirements-and for no strong justification.
I should very much welcome reassurances from my noble friend that disabled young people will be able to access the apprenticeship scheme created. Will the Minister also set out how the scheme will comply with disability equality duties to promote equality and whether a GCSE in English will be a necessary competence for every apprenticeship provided?

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Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Transport
22nd June 2009

Mr David Anderson (Blaydon): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) holders of rail franchises and (b) other transport operators on the provisions they make for accessibility to their services by the deaf and hard of hearing

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Hansard Written Answers
Employment Services: Disabled
22nd June 2009

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of deaf and hard of hearing people who require effective text or other telephone relay services in order to obtain or retain employment; and if she will make a statement;

(2) what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people with impaired speech who require effective text or other telephone relay services in order to obtain or retain employment; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan Shaw: No such estimate has been made by this Department of the number of deaf and hard of hearing people or those with impaired speech who require text or other telephone relay services in order to obtain or retain employment.
However, through Access to Work, the Department supports employers to ensure that effective text and other telephone relay services are provided where this is the most suitable means of support.

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaf and hard of hearing people had access to captioned telephone relay services through the Access to Work scheme in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008.

Jonathan Shaw: No breakdown of the number of deaf and hard of hearing people having access to captioned telephony relay services through the Access to Work scheme is collected by this Department.

However, through Access to Work, the Department supports employers to ensure that captioned telephone relay services are provided where this is the most suitable means of support.

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sign language users had access to video relay services through the Access to Work scheme in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008.

Jonathan Shaw: No breakdown of the number of sign language users having access to video relay services through the Access to Work Scheme is collected by this Department.

However, through Access to Work, the Department supports employers to ensure that access to video relay services are provided where this is the most suitable means of support.

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Railways: Hearing Impaired
Hansard Written Answers
23rd June 2009

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department has taken to make railway stations accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Since 2006 around £12.4 million has been offered from the Access for All Small Schemes Fund for projects at stations benefiting deaf and hard of hearing people. These have included induction loops at 317 stations, new customer information systems at 146 stations, improved signage at 198 stations, help points at 404 stations and information boards and screens at 39 stations.

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department has taken to encourage rail franchisees to make services accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people in the last five years.

Chris Mole: All rail franchisees are required to have a Disabled Persons' Protection Policy, which sets out how they will assist disabled passenger to use their services. This includes commitments that all on-train and station passenger information systems will give both aural and visual information where possible, including ad hoc announcements about service delays. In addition, pre-booked assistance lines are required to have a minicom or textphone number available.

Any new or upgraded infrastructure at stations must comply with "Accessible Train and Station Design for Disabled people: A Code of Practice", which includes the provision of proper signage and induction loops. All customer facing staff are also required to receive disability awareness training which includes how to assist deaf or hard of hearing passengers.

Since 1998, all new trains have been required to meet modern accessibility standards, which rail franchisees also use as the appropriate standard when undertaking major refurbishment work to older vehicles. Almost 5000 new trains now meet the standards, which include requirements for audio and visual passenger information systems, and door controls that are illuminated when they are operable. Last year, the Government set 1 January 2020 as the date by which time the entire national rail fleet must be accessible.

The winner of the new South Central franchise has also committed to monitor the success of its assisted passengers reservation system, which enables customers to book staff assistance before travelling.

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