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Crossrail Bill

moved Amendment No. 2: 2: After Clause 54, insert the following new Clause— ““Disability equality scheme (1) The Secretary of State shall take steps to ensure that the nominated undertaker is subject to the duties provided for by section 49A(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50) and the Disability Discrimination (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/2966). (2) In fulfilling the requirement to involve disabled people in the preparation of a disability equality scheme, the nominated undertaker shall in particular consult— (a) the Disabled Persons Transport Advisor Committee, established under section 125 of the Transport Act 1985 (c. 67); (b) persons that seem to it to comprise or represent disabled people from the areas covered by the scheduled works.”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, this amendment would require the Secretary of State to ensure that Crossrail is subject to the disability equality duties in the Disability Discrimination Acts and associated regulations, in particular the duty to have a disability equality scheme in place that involves disabled people in its preparation. Proposed subsection (2) would in particular require Crossrail to consult DPTAC—the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee—and persons representing disabled people from the areas covered by the scheduled works. Crossrail is a splendid project. As a result of the building and rebuilding works it necessitated, many stations will become properly accessible to disabled people for the first time, and disabled people will benefit tremendously from the project overall. However, we need clear and committed leadership to ensure that things happen as they should and that, during the construction phase, people with mobility difficulties are not disadvantaged. That is what the amendment seeks. I know from my own experience that confidence is vital to the mobility of blind and partially sighted people, as it is to the mobility of disabled people generally if they are to go out and about in their area, let alone further afield. For some people, especially older people, blindness can amount to house imprisonment. The impact on confidence is real, as is the danger from constructions sites that suddenly appear or practised routes being cut off; blind people are even often injured by carelessly placed obstructions on the highway. If Crossrail is not to bring years of such problems, a number of things must be in place. First, problems need to be thought through in advance. Secondly, adequate information needs to be available. Thirdly, alternative routes and mobility support need to be available where necessary. It is not always obvious in the Bill that they will be available. Schedule 3, for example, permits the closure of highways at very short notice. In a four-week consultation period, blind people will often not be able to get the information that they need about these works in advance and in an accessible form that they can read. Schedule 7 permits ancillary developments but has a high threshold for refusing permission and no provision for considering the impact on disabled people. I had a helpful meeting with Crossrail, which subsequently met the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association at my request. I am absolutely sure that Crossrail is sincere about trying to solve these problems, but it would be helpful to have in place a written plan, which is what a disability equality scheme amounts to, which is devised in conjunction with disabled people, particularly from the localities affected by Crossrail construction, so that the issues can be thought through before they arise. I note that the Department for Transport equality scheme deals with policy issues rather than the practical problems to which I have referred, so I am not sure that the scheme is really the answer to the issues that I am raising. Work already done on the construction code of practice and the planning memorandum will obviously be helpful, but the greatest benefits for disabled people would come from a disability equality scheme which has at its heart the involvement of local disabled people in its preparation. A recent survey of government departments was conducted to see what the impact of disability equality schemes introduced in December 2006 had been. These have now been in operation for about 18 months. Already, within the first year, government departments reported how helpful they had found disability equality schemes to be in focusing people’s minds on the issues that needed to be addressed. The aspect of disability equality schemes that they found most valuable was the involvement of disabled people, those likely to be affected, in their preparation. I believe that there is a precedent for such a scheme in a similar case, that of the Olympic Delivery Authority. It has a disability equality scheme and a senior person working on these issues. If the Minister is not able to go all the way to accepting the amendment as drafted, it would be good to have an assurance that the Government will consult further with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and others in drafting the documents that I have referred to, namely the planning memorandum and the construction code of practice. If we could have an assurance that that would happen, it would go some way towards meeting the need that this amendment seeks to address. The greatest benefit would accrue if the need for a disability equality scheme could be written into the Bill. Generally, it is vital that a senior officer of Crossrail should be responsible for making sure that the necessary steps are taken as the project goes on, thinking through new activities and their implications in advance, and dealing with specific issues as they arise. Disabled people, too, have lives to lead, jobs to go to and friends to visit. The barrier created by closing a local station will be much greater for them than it would be for ordinary members of the public. We owe it to them to make sure that they do not suffer disproportionately from all the Crossrail works that will take place over the next—I think—nine years. I hope the Minister will be able to reassure me that Crossrail will have strong leadership in place to deal with the questions that I raise.