Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill

moved Amendment No. 14: 14: Clause 1 , page 2, line 6, at end insert ““; and (d) the provision of the same equipment in each specified region to such persons.”” The noble Lord said: I very much welcome the acceptance by the Government of an amendment similar to one moved by my honourable friend Paul Holmes in another place that ensured that the targeted help scheme contractor can have access to registers of blind and partially sighted people in order to provide information to them about their entitlement to help and support with switchover. That will be of huge benefit to the 380,000 people on the registers throughout the UK. However, I am raising other issues in this amendment on behalf of organisations such as Sense and RNIB. Although they welcome the amendments tabled, there are further concerns. The chairman of the RNIB, the noble Lord, Lord Low of Dalston, would have liked to have been here. In a sense, I am moving the amendment on his behalf with his knowledge. In seven months’ time, we will be beginning the process of digital switchover in Whitehaven in Cumbria, as we have established. Are the Government yet in a position to describe the access features of the equipment being commissioned for distribution to Whitehaven residents who will qualify for assistance under the targeted help scheme? For example, if that equipment does not have the capability to deliver audio description, then visually impaired people will be completely excluded from television services, there being no digital terrestrial set-top box currently on the market that can receive audio description. The specification of the equipment to be commissioned had been the subject of a long debate between the consumer expert group—certain aspects of whose report we have heard about today—and the Government. Manufactured goods are excluded from disability discrimination law. However, switchover offers a huge public procurement opportunity to build in access features needed by disabled and older people. The Government must seize the opportunity to make the equipment for the targeted help scheme as accessible as possible; and set out a number of minimum features under the specification, however technology changes in the future. There are additional concerns, such as whether a fully accessible solution will be ready for Borders in 2008. By ““fully accessible””, I mean a set-top box that can receive audio description as well as having an electronic programme guide, with audio output functions enabling visually impaired people to access simple but essential information such as what channel and programme they are watching. The Government are to be congratulated on their movement on the Bill so far. I hope that the Minister can assure us that the accessibility issues, and the minimum specification issues I have raised, will be addressed not only for Whitehaven in the short term, but in the longer term for Borders and beyond. I beg to move.