A MOTION by Douglas South MHK Kate Beecroft for disability discrimination legislation to be brought into force ‘as soon as possible’ has failed.
In Tynwald on Tuesday, a number of members expressed their disappointment that despite the Disability Discrimination Act receiving Royal assent in 2006, it was yet to be fully implemented.
Social Care Minister Chris Robertshaw MHK said that progress was being made and called for the ‘phased approach’ should continue.
Liberal Vannin MHK Mrs Beecroft said: ‘Why can’t this government be reasonable and take reasonable steps to introduce reasonable adjustments so the disabled don’t continue to be disadvantaged?’
She said in the same way as similar legislation was introduced in the UK, organisations could be expected to make ‘reasonable’ adjustments in terms of the size of the organisation and availability of funding.
Mrs Beecroft said figures for the cost of implementing the Act were ‘scare mongering’. In a report commissioned by the Department of Social Care, Sight and Sound Technology Limited said the cost to government of bringing in the Act would be £5.6m while the cost to the private sector would be £14m.
Mrs Beecroft’s motion had also called for a timetable for implementation of the Act to be published by June.
Instead, an amendment by the Social Care Minister was approved.
It called for the court to acknowledge the work carried out to date, for the phased approach to continue, and for the department to publish a timetable ‘detailing next steps’ for the implementation by the end of the year.
Mr Robertshaw said that the department was working towards implementation with Crossroads Care.
And he said that a multi-agency forum had recently been set up, which will work towards a ‘shared view’ of what could be counted as reasonable adjustments. He said he hoped the first meeting would take place ‘later this year’.
The amendment was described by fellow Liberal Vannin MHK Peter Karran as a ‘woolly wish list’ while Onchan MHK David Quirk said it was too vague.
Bishop Robert Paterson, who voted for Mr Robertshaw’s amendment, said that ‘seven years is simply too long to wait’.
The amendment was passed 17 votes for and five against in the House of Keys, and eight for and one against in the Legislative Council. Those voting against were Mrs Beecroft, Mr Quirk, Mr Karran, Zac Hall (Onchan), Brenda Cannell (Douglas East) and MLC Dudley Butt.
The Disability Discrimination Act aims to demand minimum levels of disabled access to buildings and prevent discrimination against disabled people in the supply of goods and services.
It doesn’t cover disability discrimination in employment or education.