| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Sports Venues (Disabled Access)
Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has made to the Football Trust requesting additional resources to be made available to football clubs to make provision for disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [70223]
Mr. Banks: I welcomed the Football Task Force's report on Improving Facilities for Disabled Supporters, and wrote to the Football Trust about the recommendations in the report relating to improving access to football grounds for disabled people.
At the Trust's meeting of 25 January, the Trustees agreed to amend Trust grant aid policy to include further specific requirements for clubs to provide access and facilities for disabled people, as recommended in the Task Force report. I welcome this development.
Mr. Efford:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to make provision for (a) increasing the capacity of sports venues in order to increase their ability to accommodate disabled people and (b) improving parking and other transport facilities for disabled people at sports grounds; and if he will make a statement. [70222]
Mr. Banks:
Disabled people's access to services--including sports venues--will be improved by implementation of the later rights in Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The first stage will
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 472
come into force from October when service providers will have to take reasonable steps to change any practice, policy or procedure which makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service; provide an auxiliary aid or service which would enable disabled people to use a service; and overcome physical barriers which make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service by providing the service by a reasonable alternative method. From 2004, service providers will also have to consider tackling physical barriers by taking reasonable steps to remove them; alter them, or provide a reasonable means of avoiding them.
In addition, I have taken steps to implement the practical recommendations made in the Football Task Force's Report on Improving Facilities for Disabled Supporters, published last July, which fall to Government. These relate to amending the Approved document (AD) for Part M of the Building Regulations to require all new stadia, new stands and extensions to existing facilities to provide wheelchair spaces in accordance with the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds; to drawing up a sliding scale for the numbers of designated seats for people who are ambulant disabled or visually/hearing impaired within new stands and stadia, and amending Part M accordingly; and to extending the future role of the Football Trust to improve disabled facilities at grounds.
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 473
Any changes to the Building Regulations require statutory consultation and will be based on the advice of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions intends to use the comprehensive review of British Standard BS 5810 Code of Practice for access for the disabled to buildings and its supporting research, once it has been completed, as a basis for developing proposals through the Building Regulations Advisory Committee to revise the AD for Part M. In the interim, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has taken the immediate step of including references to the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds in the current revision to the AD to extend Part M to new housing. This will draw the guidance to the attention of interested parties. The review of BS 5810 includes access for the ambulant disabled and when the Green Guide is next updated the standard will be taken on board.
I fully support all the practical recommendations made in the Task Force's report. These include proposals concerning seating arrangement, parking and access at football grounds. In November, I wrote to the bodies identified in the report as having a role to play in implementing the recommendations. I have been encouraged by the positive responses I have received.
The Task Force's recommendations provide an excellent assessment of what has been achieved in the provision of facilities for disabled supporters at football grounds, and where improvement can still be made. They are equally applicable to other sports stadia and I commend them to all those involved in sports stadia management in this country.
Ms Buck:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the (a) grants and (b) other financial support to (i) Westminster City Council and (ii) the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, other than through the RSG settlement in (1) 1997-98, (2) 1998-99 and (3) planned for 1999-2000 given by his Department; and for what purposes the funds were allocated. [70156]
Mr. Chris Smith:
My Department has not provided, and I have no plans to make, any direct grants or financial support to Westminster City Council or the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, in his Department for 1998-99; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [69520]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 9 February 1999]: The average percentage increases in salaries of non industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, for 1998-99 was 4 per cent. within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and approximately 3.7 per cent. within the Royal Parks Agency.
The pay awards were not staged.
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 474
Mr. Peter Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what efforts he is making to assist arts organisations affected by the proposed ban on tobacco sponsorship to find replacement funding. [70351]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 10 February 1999]: Through negotiation, the Government have ensured that the EC Tobacco Advertising Directive provides a reasonable time for arts and sports organisations to adapt to its provisions. The Government's White Paper "Smoking Kills", published last December, was accompanied by a consultation document which invites comments on the possible impact of legislation. The Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts has been invited to make representations on behalf of its members, and arts organisations may also do so on an individual basis.
Views expressed in the consultation exercise, which ends on 28 February, will inform decisions taken on the extent to which specific assistance should be offered to arts organisations.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contingency measures his Department is planning for the first week of 2000 to meet any technical problems caused by the millennium bug in terms of (a) specialist advice and (b) staff overtime. [70593]
Mr. Chris Smith:
My Department is in the process of preparing a contingency plan for the millennium bug problem. However, no decision has yet been made on the need for specialist advice or the level, if any, of staff overtime, for the first week.
Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Government will provide funding for St. Dunstan's charity for blind ex-servicemen and women. [70537]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for West Dorset, (Mr. Letwin) on 9 November 1998, Official Report, columns 77-78.
Mr. Robathan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice she has received from the Chief Constable of the RUC on (a) UVF, (b) IRA and (c) UDA involvement in serious assaults carried out since 1 May 1998. [63168]
Mr. Ingram:
In the period 1 May 1998 to 31 January 1999 there have been 74 Loyalist and 52 Republican assaults. The Chief Constable of the RUC is on record as stating that he has no doubt that members of all these paramilitary organisations have been involved in attacks. We do not, however, have records attributing attacks to individual organisations.
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 475
Mr. Robathan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the RUC has evidence to indicate IRA involvement in the killing of Andrew Kearney in Belfast in July 1998. [63167]
Mr. Ingram:
There is no firm evidence to indicate the involvement of a specific group with the killing of Andrew Kearney.
Note:
Figures are subject to minor adjustment (due to further information coming to light) and refer to "assaults" as distinct from "shootings".
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |