Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government which minister was responsible for ensuring equal disability access to the COP26 summit; what discussions they had regarding disability access to the summit with (1) the Scottish Government, and (2) event organisers, prior to the opening of the summit; and whether they will publish their communications with (a) the Scottish Government, (b) the office of Karin Elharar, the Israeli Energy Minister, and (c) event organisers, concerning disability access to the summit.

We remain committed to an inclusive COP26, accessible to all, and the venue was designed to facilitate that. When officials were made aware of the issue in question, which was a genuine mistake, they worked urgently with the Israeli delegation to resolve this and the UK Government apologised to Minister Elharrar.

The COP26 permanent structures were fully wheelchair accessible and the venue holds gold level accessibility status. For the temporary structures a complete accessibility audit was completed and they were fully compliant.

The COP26 Unit Civil Society Engagement Team established an official-led Disability Inclusive Working Group, composed of disability Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), who provided helpful guidance to the unit in the run up to COP26.