NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND

Early day motion 961, tabled 26 March 2003 by Alan Meale (Labour). Signed by 57 members.

That this House notes that 2003 has been designated as the European Year of Disabled People, the aim of which is to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by disabled people and to work towards ending inequality in our society; congratulates the National Library for the Blind on its campaign to establish visually-impaired people's right to the same access to library and information services as the fully sighted; believes the current situation in the UK of fewer than five per cent. of books being available in alternative format and inadequate and largely inaccessible internet facilities for the visually impaired is inexcusable and calls upon HM Government to finance improvements to these services forthwith.

Signatures by party: Labour 40, Liberal Democrat 13, Plaid Cymru 2, Labour/Co-operative 1, UUP 1.