DISABLED PROVISION

Dear Ms Shrive,

Thank you for your letter of enquiry about provisions for the disabled,
which was received on 3 June 2009.

As you have not asked for recorded information, your enquiry is not being
dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act.
I have forwarded your letter to the head of the culture correspondence
desk of the Public Engagement and Recognition Unit. A member of his team
will be responding to your enquiry.

If you would like any further help or have any queries please contact:

Public Engagement and Recognition Unit
DCMS
2-4 Cockspur Street
London
SWIY 5DH

Regards,
Sharon Lewry
FoI Central Team
Public Engagement and Recognition Unit

Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH
Tel: 0207 211 6307
Website: [1]www.culture.gov.uk
DCMS aims to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and
sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion
the tourism, creative and leisure industries

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Dear Ms Shrive,

Thank you for your query to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
(DCMS) of 3 June 2009 about disabled provision to which I have been asked
to reply.

DCMS sponsored museums are not required to publish their disability
policies or report them to us. They are bound by the Disability
Discrimination Act 2005, which requires them to make their buildings
accessible. In practice, many museums are Grade 1 listed buildings which
means that they find this difficult. The museums do have their own
policies on access which you may find on their websites, but they are not
required to report to the DCMS.
Disability issues in the British Library are addressed by the Disability
Action Group which works to achieve genuine equality for disabled people
using the Library’s services. This group is chaired by one of the
Library’s Directors, Phil Spence, and takes a keen interest in issues
raised by visitors and readers. One member of the group has special
responsibility for disability issues across the Reading Rooms, but all
staff at the British Library who serve members of the public will be happy
to assist anyone with a disability in any way they can.

Dempster Marples
Public Engagement and Recognition Unit
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street | London | SW1Y 5DH
[1]www.culture.gov.uk

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Dear Ms Shrive,

Your email of 3 June asked 'do they monitor and publish the reviews of
disabled access provision' and mentioned the lack of disability officers
and access.

Freedom of information (FOI) requests to the Department for Culture, Media
and Sport (DCMS) are formal requests for copies of information held on
record at the Department. However, general questions are dealt with as
non-FOI correspondence. Your request of 3 June, asks for explanation,
rather than specifically to see anything held on record at DCMS. As a
result your request and my email response were both outside the scope of
the Freedom of Information Act. I respond below to your e-mail of 29 June
through our usual complaints procedure rather than dealing with it under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.

I refer you to the answer previously given, that while DCMS sponsored
museums and the British Library are bound by the Disability Discrimination
Act 2005, DCMS sponsored organisations are not required under the Act to
publish their disability policies or report them to us.

Dempster Marples
Public Engagement and Recognition Unit
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street | London | SW1Y 5DH
[1]www.culture.gov.uk

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