Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, for his praise of my "ceaseless efforts" even before they have begun. I wish to support this group of amendments and will speak in particular to Amendments 213 and 214, which stand in my name. I repeat my interest as president of Skill, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities. Considerable discussion has taken place with the Bill team over the summer, and officials have gone a considerable way towards clarifying how the needs of learners with learning difficulties and disabilities will be met under the new arrangements. I thank them for that. It is reassuring to learn that the Skills Funding Agency will be subject to public sector duties under equality legislation—particularly the disability equality duty which, it is intended, will be incorporated ultimately into the public sector equality duty to be introduced by the Equality Bill. Amendment 213 deals with the availability of information in accessible formats. It is reassuring to know that the National Apprenticeship Service is committed to ensuring that its services are accessible to those with learning difficulties and disabilities; that the service’s websites are highly rated for accessibility; and that printed materials produced by the National Apprenticeship Service will comply with the Central Office of Information’s informability guidelines. I stress the point because it is becoming increasingly the norm to assume that if you put your information on the internet, you have done all that you need to do to make it accessible. I do not minimise the importance of the internet in making information accessible to those with disabilities, and in equipping them with the skills to use it with facility. However, it has to be recognised that the internet poses peculiar challenges for some people with disabilities—I might mention people with visual impairments—so it remains important to ensure that information is available in other accessible formats. As for the point that printed materials will comply with the COI’s informability guidelines, I would be more comforted by that commitment if anyone could lay hands on those guidelines. I remember them being lodged some 15 to 20 years ago. I hope that they have not disappeared without trace and that they still exist, perhaps in updated form. If not, I am sure that the RNIB, where I am now a vice-president, could help with its See it Right guidelines. We have a comprehensive and substantial pack. With regard to Access to Work, which is dealt with in Amendment 214, it is understood that this is an issue for implementation to ensure that the National Apprenticeship Service and Access to Work are working effectively together. I am also reassured that organisations representing disabled learners will be involved. It would be even more reassuring if Ministers would commit to keeping an eye on progress.