London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Amendment) Bill

My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend Lord Addington for tabling this amendment, because I warmly welcome the opportunity that we have had to debate this important matter. It is particularly heartening to hear the contribution from the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, who is an inspiring role model for disability sport and has done so much to raise the profile of the Paralympic Games. When we bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we promised to make them everyone's Games. Accessibility and inclusion has been an integral part of the planning for the Games from the very outset, and it continues to be at the heart of everything that LOCOG and the rest of the London 2012 family does, as we have heard so eloquently from my noble friend Lord Coe. London 2012 is the first Games that has brought the organisation of the Olympics and Paralympics fully together. We are aiming to go further than any previous host city to hold the most accessible Olympic Games and Paralympic Games ever. Most of what I was going to say has already been outlined by my noble friend Lord Coe and the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson. It is significant that LOCOG appointed an accessibility manager specifically to ensure that the needs of disabled people are addressed, and it has spoken to a broad range of disability groups. LOCOG has not adopted a one-size-fits-all model, but is tailoring services and products, including tickets, to the differing needs of different disabled spectators. Right from the beginning, LOCOG has integrated accessibility into the ticketing website, which has allowed visually impaired people to buy tickets using a screen reader or other assistive technology without having to call a separate phone number. The noble Lord, Lord Coe, and the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, have described the facilities available for wheelchair users and the fact that the accessible seating is scattered around the new venues. There are facilities available for those with hearing impairment. I understand that there is even an assistance dog and guide dog facility, a ““spending area””. In addition, there will be spectator information in a range of accessible formats, including audio and visual announcements and tactile warning surfaces. Also LOCOG will set up and provide a Games mobility service, which will include the loan of a wheelchair or powered scooter and a guiding service with volunteers assisting spectator movement through public areas and within venues. Throughout, LOCOG have interpreted disability as being much broader than the traditional mobility and deaf or blind categories. The ODA has also taken steps to ensure that the Olympic park and venues are accessible to disabled people. Its inclusive design strategy was published in 2008, and includes wider pathways with smooth surfaces and seating and resting places at regular intervals; a new UK benchmark for wheelchair spaces and amenity seating; gentle gradients giving all users greater freedom of movement; clear and easily understood signage; and a range of accessible toilet facilities. Inclusive and accessible design principles have been embedded into the ODA’s procurement, design and construction processes. On transport, the Government and Games organisers are committed to an inclusive approach in helping everyone with their travel to the Games, making the best use of existing accessible elements of public transport and complementary modes such as blue badge parking and taxis, and the provision of a spectator journey planner and so on. By 2012, we hope that more than 60 London Underground stations will provide step-free access between the street and the platform, including Southfields for the Wimbledon tennis venue, and Green Park, which is a vital accessibility hub for the West End and connections to Olympic venues. All these measures set a new benchmark for major sporting events and I am sure that noble Lords will agree that a phenomenal amount of thought and planning has gone into making the Olympic and Paralympic Games a truly inclusive experience. It is the Government’s view, which is shared by many, that LOCOG and the ODA have been exemplary in this regard in the facilities and the opportunities they have made available for people with any form of disability. I suggest to my noble friend that the amendment does not achieve anything which has not already been thought of or implemented. I am most grateful to him and to other noble Lords who have spoken in this debate for the opportunity to set out our vision for disability sport and for the Paralympics part of the Olympics and Paralympics Games. I hope that my noble friend will withdraw his amendment.