LIPREADING

Early day motion 573, tabled 21 April 1999 by Tom Levitt (Labour). Signed by 173 members.

That this House recognises that more than eight million people are hard of hearing or severely deaf; notes that most of them rely on spoken English for communication with family or friends and for equal access to leisure and social activities, public services, employment and education; further notes that the acquisition of lipreading skills is vital to this end and that this is best facilitated through lipreading classes taught by qualified tutors; believes that such a programme will encourage people with acquired hearing loss to maximise their opportunities to remain active and participating members of society; and calls on the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to require the new local learning partnerships to recognise their role in providing lipreading classes, at no charge to hearing-impaired users, in each locality.

Signatures by party: Labour 100, Liberal Democrat 30, Conservative 25, Labour/Co-operative 5, Plaid Cymru 4, Independent 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, UUP 2, DUP 1, Scottish National Party 1, Unknown 1.