asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of Health and Social Security and the Department of Trade and Industry on policy covering the communication needs of the elderly and the disabled.

Yes. Recent examples of close co-operation between the two Departments in this area have been over the arrangements to be made for those groups requiring specialist telecommunications equipment in the context of British Telecom's privatisation; and over the Government's information technology awareness programme as it affects disabled people.