Johnson: Disability Bill is 'landmark' legislation

Friday, 26 November 2004 12:00 AM

The Government's new Disability Discrimination Bill is a ground-breaking piece of legislation that will improve the life of disabled people, according to the Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson.

The Bill will extend the existing Disability Discrimination Act and place a positive duty on public bodies to promote equality, extend accessibility requirements to transport and set a date by which all rail vehicles must comply with the accessibility regulations.

In addition, the main provisions of the Act will be extended to cover bodies awarding general qualifications (such as GCSEs), almost all activities within the public sector and private members clubs that have over 25 members.

Speaking at the publication of the Bill, Mr Johnson said: "This is a landmark piece of legislation that forms a crucial part of the Government's continued commitment to the wider agenda of improving the lives of disabled people."

If the Act is successful, it is expected that around 175,000 additional people will fall under its scope annually as it will include, from the point of diagnosis, those individuals with HIV, MS and cancer.

The Minister for Disabled People, Maria Eagle, added: "The Bill will have a real and meaningful impact on the lives of disabled people. Its measures would mean that the public sector would be required to consider the needs of disabled people rather than waiting for a complaint or a problem to arise. It would make challenging discrimination much easier and result in improvements to everyday activities such as using public transport."

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) welcomed the Bill, but urged ministers to look to amend the Bill to provide further protection for disabled people living in rental accommodation.

Its chairman, Bert Massie, said: "The transport provisions are great news for disabled people and, if implemented by the Government, will close a major loophole in the Disability Discrimination Act. The Government has been committed to introducing basic civil rights for disabled people using public transport since the 1997 manifesto so it's been a long journey that is coming to an end. There is much in this Bill that will significantly improve the lives of Britain's 10 million disabled people and I look forward to working with the Government to ensure the Bill becomes law in this session of Parliament."

However, he called for an amendment to the housing provisions of the Bill, which as they currently stand would enable tenants to ask for reasonable (but not physical) adjustments to rental property. Mr Massie is calling for a change to ensure "that consent to make adaptations could not be unreasonably refused."

The DRC estimates that in 2002, 18,000 disabled people were living in unsuitable accommodation. Such 'unsuitable' accommodation could be the lack of a wheelchair ramp to the property, which as a physical adjustment would not be covered by the Bill as it currently stands.

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