WANSTEAD MP Harry Cohen has joined the debate about the lack of public toilet provision for disabled people.

During a speech in Parliament Mr Cohen called on the Government to reveal how many representations it had received about the issue from disabled groups.

The MP waded in to the debate after friends and family of residents with limited mobility slammed Redbridge Council for failing to provide any 'Changing Places' facilities in the borough - where public conveniences are modified to suit disabled users.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary Shahid Malik replied: "Baroness Andrews met representatives of the Changing Places Consortium on January 13 to discuss their campaign to promote specially equipped toilets for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

"Local authority provision of such toilets was discussed."

Mr Malik said a code of practice had been published in March setting out rules for designing buildings to meet the needs of the disabled.

He said his department had not received any letters from people complaining about local authority toilet provision for the disabled.

A Redbridge Council spokesman said that its toilets are maintained to a high standard and that the authority had not received any requests for a Changing Places toilet.