ANNETTE BROOKE MP TAKES 'CAMPAIGN TO READ' TO THE PRIME MINISTER

2.18.41pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th May 2007

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole asked the Prime Minister during Prime Ministers Question Time if he would support the Right to Read campaign. Next year is the National Year of Reading and yet visually impaired children do not have access to many important textbooks because they are not available in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille or audio.

The question was a follow up from the highly successful lobby day in Parliament hosted earlier this year, with the RNIB and the Right to Read Alliance for visually impaired children, their parents and teachers. Speaking at the time, Annette said "The Government must take the lead and encourage publishers to create a central electronic resource that would allow books to be adapted to suit the needs of readers."

Annette and other campaigners were delighted with the Prime Minister's answer 'We do support the aims of the Right to Read campaign and the Royal National Institute of the Blind are quite right in saying that this is a very important issue.'

Notes to editors

1. Annette Brooke's Question: Given that next year is the national year of reading, will the Prime Minister give his support to the campaign by the right to read alliance to improve access to text for visually impaired children? In particular, does he support a pilot project that is being discussed with his officials?

2. The Prime Minister's Answer: We do support the aims of the right to read campaign-[Hon. Members: "Reading!"]-and the Royal National Institute of the Blind is quite right in saying that it is a very important issue. I understand that a feasibility project is being conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry and the RNIB. We are obviously not in a position to publish the conclusions yet, but I know that when we can do so we will want to do everything we can to encourage the project. The question is obviously one of cost and working out how that can be properly done. However, we support the general aims, and the feasibility project will be concluded shortly.

3. In November 2006 the Right to Read Alliance launched the campaign report Where's My Book. The report found that blind and partially sighted children throughout the UK are losing out on their education as teachers struggle to provide textbooks they can read.

4. A recent study has shown that that fewer than one in 40 maths or science titles are available in large print at Key Stage 3 and that out of 143 English language textbooks surveyed only three were available in accessible format.

Annette Broke and author Jacqueline Wilson

5. At the lobby day in March one family told Annette that it had cost them £30 to purchase the latest Harry Potter book in a large print version. Often visually impaired children are not able to access books until months after their initial publication.