Memorandum from the Labour Party Disabled
Members Group (DDB 111)
The Labour Party Disabled Members Group (LPDMG)
came from the frustration of years of the Conservative Government
not listening to Disabled People. In 1995 the Inaugural AGM was
held. LPDMG works with this Government and the Party for the benefit
of all Disabled People.
LPDMG welcomes the contents of this Draft Bill
and wishes to offer the following response to the Draft Disability
Bill.
LPDMG apologises for the lack of explanation
to these points, this being due to the limit of words you have
placed on responses.
A key omission is the removal of the requirement
that mental illness needs to be "clinically well recognised"
—this should be removed and brought into line with other
impairments.
There is a need to ensure that people with Restricted
Growth, Head Injures and Menieres Disease are also covered by
the current definition and the proposed upgrade due to this bill,
as well as extended to people who have a Genetic Predispostion
to an impairment.
LPDMG has great concerns over the use of regulations,
when appertaining to transport and how these powers are to be
used in the future and to what types of vehicles they intend to
cover.
River transport should be added to this coverage.
It was hoped that a date for the compliance
of rail stock would be included in the Draft Bill and hopes the
Committee will be able to add this date at the end of the Consultation
period
The Bill should include reasonable adjustment
as far as changes to physical features are concerned in housing
and also the promotion and progress to Lifetime Homes. This will
give the right to disabled people to move with the job market,
as others do.
LPDMG thinks the trigger for making reasonable
adjustment under Part 3 of the DDA is far too high—this
could enable service providers to evade their responsibility in
some way and Committee should consider lowering it.
The current time limits for bringing employment
cases are too low and do not give sufficient time for all access
requirements to be put into place for effected parties—strong
consideration for extending this time be considered.
LPDMG is encouraged that DDA provisions will
apply to clubs with over 25 memberships, but concerned that this
is not extended to include guests and cannot come up with a reasonable
reason why the Government should exclude them?
LPDMG is very concerned that the following issues
do not arise in the Draft Bill, as they were covered in the Task
Force Recommendations, who were led to believe they would be covered
at the next opportunity... .
Tribunals should be given the power to order
re-instatement or re-engagement.
Disability-related inquiries prior to job offers
should be limited.
There should be powers taken to bring Volunteers
into coverage, as this is often the road used for disabled people
to get back into work.
All examining bodies, those setting exam paperwork
and office holders in this field—ie GCSE—should be
coverage in this Bill.
Continued exemption of the Armed Forces does
nothing to assist the employment market and demeans the ability
of disability for procuring a worthwhile job in these organisations.
Governors of Schools, Colleges should also be
covered and therefore included in this Bill, as well as ALL Public
bodies, Authorities and their functions—this to include
Councillors and Magistrates (especially lay). Until this happens
Disabled people will be limited in their progress through public
or political life.
Prisons are not included in this Bill, leaving
the access to facilities for those with a disability discriminatory?
National Planning Policy Guidance should include
access as a mandatory requirement.
Discrimination because of an association with
a disabled person or because a person is mistakenly treated as
a disabled person should be made unlawful
Receipt of specified state disability benefits
should automatically allow applicants to be deemed to be disabled.
A right to Independent Living which would guarantee
a disabled persons right to the basic requirements of living and
participating within the community should be added to this Bill.
March 2004
| 
