Disabled Persons Act 1986 And The Loss Of Advocacy Rights

EDM number 592 in 1991-92, proposed by Harry Barnes on 30/01/1992.

That this House notes that, if implemented, sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons Act 1986 would give disabled people the right to appoint a representative to act on their behalf in dealings with local authorities and particular social services departments; further notes that section 3 of the same Act would give the disabled person the right to represent his or her needs during assessment as well as the right to a written statement of that assessment and the right to a review; also recognises that section 7 would require authorities to assess needs before discharging people with learning difficulties from long-stay hospitals; believes that these rights are of vital importance to disabled people; deplores the Government's penny-pinching decision not to implement sections 1, 2 and 3 and its intention to delay section 7 of the Act; and calls upon the Government to reverse this decision in recognition of the need to enhance and not reduce the human rights of disabled people.

This motion has been signed by a total of 42 MPs.