Further PQs available as below with thanks to NDCS/UKCoD May 2011 Policy & Parliamentary Briefing.
Ofcom will produce yet another consultation document regarding review of relay services around end of June/beginning of July. We think it must be the 11th document!!
Week ending 27th May
1. Ofcom Announcement – Emergency SMS scheme. Ofcom has confirmed plans to make the emergency SMS scheme mandatory in the UK. Under the new European regulations, disabled consumers should – technology allowing – have the same access to the emergency services as other consumers.
1. Parliamentary Question on Relay Services asked by Michael Connarty MP (Lab, Linlithgow and East Falkirk). Answered by Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey MP (Con, Wantage) who stated Ofcom is currently undertaking a review of relay services, to assess whether the current arrangements for their provision are adequate.
2. Parliamentary Question on universal video relay service asked by Tom Brake MP (Lib Dem, Carshalton and Wallington) who asked if the Government had commissioned or evaluated a cost-benefit analysis of introducing a universal video relay service. Communications Minister Ed Vaizey MP (Con, Wantage) replied that the Government had not. He noted that Ofcom are currently undertaking a review of relay services and expect to publish a consultation document this summer, which will include a cost-benefit analysis of the options.
3. Parliamentary Question on adequacy of text relay services for BSL users asked by Tom Brake MP (Lib Dem, Carshalton and Wallington). Answered by Communications Minister Ed Vaizey MP (Con, Wantage) who stated that the Government had made no assessment of the adequacy of text relay services for British Sign Language users. However he noted that the objective of Ofcom’s review is to assess whether current arrangements for the provision of relay services are adequate in delivering equivalence to voice telephony for hearing and speech impaired end-users (including BSL users.
4. Parliamentary Question on equivalence in access to electronic communications asked by Michael Connarty MP (Lab, Linlithgow and East Falkirk). Answered by Communications Minister Ed Vaizey MP (Con, Wantage) who discussed the notion of ‘functional equivalence’ in relation to relay services for deaf people.
5. Government review of communications regulatory framework. The Government has announced a time-line for its review of the regulatory framework supporting the UK communications sector; it is anticipated that a White Paper and draft Bill will be produced by April 2013.
