Schedule 1 - The Olympic Delivery Authority
London Olympics Bill
2:00 pm
Richard Caborn (Minister of State (Sport), Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Sheffield Central, Labour)
May I first welcome you, Mr. Amess, to the Chair. As I recollect, you were a good supporter of our bid for 2012; somebody who saw that it could be used in the wider areas of health and tackling obesity in young people. I have no doubt that we will get a favourable wind from the Chair. As I come from Sheffield, we can always do the full monty as well if required, for a little bit of entertainment.
Amendments Nos. 8, 2 and 3 would all impose specific powers and obligations on the Olympic delivery authority to promote access for disabled people, where general duties already exist in legislation. I will deal with them amendment by amendment.
Amendment No. 8 would ensure that the ODA is made subject to the new disability equality duties. I would like to make it clear that the ODA will be a public authority within the meaning of the relevant provisions and so will already be subject to the general disability equality duties in section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 when they come into force. Section 49D, which the amendment refers to, allows Ministers to place listed public sector bodies under specific duties to publish equality schemes, involve the views of disabled people in their planning, and report on progress.
As the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) reminded us, the Government last year published the criteria they would apply when deciding whether specific duties were appropriate for a body in the consultation document ''Delivering equality for disabled people''. The criteria are that the body has significant dealings with disabled service users; has a significant impact on the lives of disabled people; could be a significant employer of disabled people; and is of sufficient size to support the duties. The Government believe that the public sector disability duties are important tools in transforming our society into one that is more equal and provides greater opportunities for disabled people.
The Government also believe that to be effective the duties should have wide application across the public sector. In that spirit, the Government will apply the published criteria to the ODA in determining which duties are appropriate once Parliament has decided, through the Bill, on the shape and functions of the authority.