Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why financial support provided by the independent living fund for care costs of severely disabled people is means tested where there is no means test for other care costs benefits such as disability living allowance.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I welcome the review because to have one set of payments to meet the extra costs of disability, like the disability living allowance, which is not means tested, and simultaneously to have another system of payments like the independent living fund, which is means tested, is illogical. It is also inconsistent and unfair to disabled people. Will this review take account of the fact...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, is the Minister aware that I appreciate the substance of her response to the noble Earl? However, we should be very careful indeed about disentitling anyone. If that person has no money whatever, it means that the safety net has been snatched away and he or she can no longer participate in society. That creates both a sad and an explosive situation.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, that was a fine speech by the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, and I congratulate her. It was comprehensive, shrewd, to the point and precisely what was required on this occasion. I thank her also for her choice of subject. It is not everyone who chooses the rather unpopular subject of deafness and hard of hearing people, but it is a subject that merits consideration by the House. One...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for giving way. I was assured by the BBC that if deaf and hard-of-hearing people were to switch over to digital TV tomorrow, the same amount of subtitling would be available as is currently available on analogue TV. I should not like the wrong message to go out, but the BBC assured me on that point today.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government: What powers they have to influence local authority social services; and whether they intend to use or augment these powers to reduce the disparities between authorities.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his Answer. Does he agree that the Government's review of social service departments has exposed the negligence of some of them, especially the more than one in 10 that are failing in their duties to children, disabled people and old people? Can my noble friend assure the House that the Government will close down those failing social service departments...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, is my noble friend saying that he is prepared to take many steps before taking action against local authority social service departments which are proved to be negligent according to the Government's own survey? When he speaks of the inspectorate conducting a review, does that imply that the Government's survey was inadequate? We have the facts; we have the figures. They show gross...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to implement the main recommendations of the Disability Rights Task Force.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I welcome that reply and the early action by the Government on the recommendations on education and their consideration. However, is my noble friend aware that Britain's 8½ million disabled people want more than that? The only hope they have for comprehensive civil rights is the implementation of all the proposals. Will my noble friend agree that the real problem is timing,...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I beg to introduce a Bill to make new provision for the welfare, care and assistance of deafblind persons. I beg to move that this Bill be now read a first time. Moved, That the Bill be now read a first time.--(Lord Ashley of Stoke.) On Question, Bill read a first time, and to be printed.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, is my noble friend aware that I believe that he has answered many of the anxieties about potential unemployment at Remploy, as publicised widely in the press? Is not the nub of the problem that there has been a significant fall in the demand for Remploy's products, yet none of us wants to see any of these jobs lost? Would not the best way to tackle this matter--in addition to the...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why 81 per cent of all firms are still exempted from the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I appreciate that reply. However, is my noble friend aware that the Government "bought a pup" when they accepted the arguments of the small firms federation that small firms should be excluded from the Act? The view of the federation was that, if small firms were included, unreasonable burdens would be imposed on them. It is an absurd argument: the Act specifically states that only...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend and the Government on the Statement and on the steps that they have taken on this vital issue. Does not my noble friend agree that the nub of the problem is this: we are issuing mandatory requirements, we need more mandatory requirements, but the mandatory requirements of the Children Act 1989, to which my noble friend referred, have been neglected and...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. Deafblindness defies the imagination of most of us. When I lost my hearing totally many years ago I could at least rely upon my sight. Similarly, David Blunkett presumably can rely upon his hearing. But to live in a world of total darkness and total silence must be a daily trial taxing the deepest of human courage and...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, it is traditional to thank all those who have taken part in a debate. However, today has proved to be an exceptional occasion. The depth of feeling expressed by all those who have contributed has been most striking and also rewarding. What noble Lords have said will give heart to the people we have been discussing--deafblind people. I found the debate very interesting, and while I...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: moved Amendment No. 23A: Page 16, line 25, after ("orally") insert ("or in writing").
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, this is a very simple amendment which, I believe, is not controversial and which will not detain the House, but it will assist profoundly deaf people if the Government are able to accept it. There have been two significant changes in the voting processes. One is the new complexity. Voters are now faced with a long list of names, and sorting them out is not always easy. The second...
Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I am astonished at that response from my noble friend. One could not have a simpler, more modest and reasoned amendment. It is impossible for the Minister to say that the Government cannot accept this amendment; but for what reasons, I do not know. If the matter is to be left to the good sense of the presiding officers, as has been suggested, there would be no problem. But they have...