asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the hon. Member for Preston, South about the case of Miss Joyce Burnett; what reply he is making; and if he will make a statement.

The hon. Member wrote to my right hon. Friend on 3 November enclosing a letter from his blind constituent, Miss Joyce Burnett, in which she queried the relevance of the Rating (Disabled Persons) Act 1978 to persons who are blind, deaf or dumb. I have replied to the hon. Member explaining how that Act may affect such persons.