MP Wins in Disability Quiz at Conference                                                                             

Neil Gerrard, Labour MP for Walthamstow, led a team of MPs to victory in the quiz organised by Disability Daily in their fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference last week. Mr Gerrard, together with MPs Roger Berry and Des Turner, beat a team including Government Ministers in a quiz testing the MPs knowledge of legislation on disability issues.

"This was an entertaining fringe meeting, for the audience at least" said Mr Gerrard, "although the MPs felt under some pressure not to reveal any ignorance of legislation. We were very pleased to come out as the winners."

"There was a serious point, though, because the questions highlighted many of the gaps in current legislation and the need to extend the Disability Discrimination Act. One of the gaps will hopefully be plugged soon by my private member's bill to ensure that minicabs carry guide dogs, but other loopholes remain."

"Many private clubs, for example, are not covered by legislation and could discriminate against people with disabilities. No date has yet been set by which train operators will have to take inaccessible trains out of service, although the platforms will have to made accessible by 2004.It is still much too difficult for cases of discrimination relating to goods and services to be taken to County Courts."

"Answering the questions made us all think about what more we need to do to improve the current legislation."        

October 2002

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