§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many telephones are provided free of installation charges by each local authority in England and Wales; and how many registered blind adults live in each local authority area;
(2) how many registered blind adults there are in the United Kingdom; and how many of these are without telephones in their homes;
(3) what is the estimated cost to the Exchequer of providing all blind adults with telephones, free of installation and monthly rental charges.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisNumbers of households assisted with the provision of telephones in England and Wales during 1974–75, the latest year for which infor- 585W mation is available (Table 1), and most recent information available on the
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TABLE 1 Installation of Local Authority Telephones Attachments Telephone Rental NORTHERN REGION: TOTAL … … 1,107 76 1,301 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Cleveland … … 143 8 157 Cumbria … … 78 36 200 Durham … … 207 2 212 Northumberland … … 45 3 40 Metropolitan County—Tyne and Wear: Districts Gateshead … … 53 4 90 Newcastle upon Tyne … … 294 10 302 North Tyneside … … 78 2 129 South Tyneside … … 93 1 64 Sunderland … … 116 10 107 YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE REGION: TOTAL … 1,060 38 1,957 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Humberside … … 279 8 472 North Yorkshire … … 192 9 435 Metropolitan County—South Yorkshire: Districts Barnsley … … 39 1 37 Doncaster … … 81 4 22 Rotherham … … 50 1 154 Sheffield … … 52 — 48 Metropolitan County—West Yorkshire: Districts Bradford … … 26 2 130 Calderdale … … 29 1 112 Kirklees … … 102 5 231 Leeds … … 97 7 187 Wakefield … … 113 — 129 NORTH WESTERN REGION: TOTAL … … 4,848 296 8,654 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Cheshire … … 428 53 1,278 Lancashire … … 985 75 1,127 Metropolitan County—Greater Manchester: Districts Bolton … … 56 2 64 Bury … … 29 2 14 Manchester … … 1,172 71 1,228 Oldham … … 185 4 297 Rochdale … … 126 3 25 Salford … … 38 5 587 Stockport … … 197 28 462 Tameside … … 165 11 55 Trafford … … 68 12 561 Wigan … … 232 2 137 Metropolitan County—Merseyside: Districts Knowsley … … 152 5 234 Liverpool … … 576 — 1,744 Sefton … … 129 9 68 St. Helens … … 128 — 179 Wirral … … 182 14 594 WEST MIDLANDS REGION: TOTAL … … 2,079 61 4,772 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Hereford and Worcester … … 134 5 335 Salop … … 89 1 66 Staffordshire … … 282 16 511 Warwickshire … … 157 5 355 Metropolitan County—West Midlands: Districts Birmingham … … 697 — 1,684 Coventry … … 198 8 717 Dudley … … 63 — 244 Sandwell … … 150 3 475 Solihull … … 119 23 209 Walsall … … 34 — 169 Wolverhampton … … 156 — 7 numbers of registered blind people (Tables 2 and 3), are as follows:
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Installation of Local Authority Telephones Attachments Telephone Rental EAST MIDLANDS REGION: TOTAL … … 1,613 97 3,271 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Derbyshire … … … … 213 — 828 Leicestershire … … … … 375 5 571 Lincolnshire … … … … 41 36 156 Northamptonshire … … … … 337 10 441 Nottinghamshire … … … … 647 46 1,275 LONDON NORTH REGION: TOTAL … … 2,085 109 4,098 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Bedfordshire … … … … 497 31 852 Berkshire … … … … 195 8 370 Buckinghamshire … … … … 128 6 405 Cambridgeshire … … … … 124 14 167 Essex … … … … 390 2 1,307 Hertfordshire … … … … 391 24 381 Norfolk … … … … 68 5 146 Oxfordshire … … … … 190 13 202 Suffolk … … … … 102 6 268 LONDON REGION: TOTAL … … … 6,547 703 16,950 INNER LONDON: TOTAL … … … … 3,608 388 10,654 Camden … … … … 260 70 996 Greenwich … … … … 501 96 1,054 Hackney … … … … 89 1 167 Hammersmith … … … … 218 19 248 Islington … … … … 669 27 1,812 Kensington … … … … 95 17 348 Lambeth … … … … 336 18 582 Lewisham … … … … 515 16 1,398 Southwark … … … … 107 6 701 Tower Hamlets … … … … 98 4 522 Wandsworth … … … … 435 99 2,185 Westminster … … … … 283 15 615 City of London … … … … 2 — 26 OUTER LONDON: TOTAL … … … … 2,939 315 6,296 Barking … … … … 65 9 305 Barnet … … … … 208 29 570 Bexley … … … … 90 13 263 Brent … … … … 354 69 249 Bromley … … … … 86 3 108 Croydon … … … … 72 3 285 Ealing … … … … 263 9 807 Enfield … … … … 178 14 275 Haringey … … … … 255 32 835 Harrow … … … … 129 24 344 Havering … … … … 86 6 417 Hillingdon … … … … 279 30 133 Hounslow … … … … 60 8 82 Kingston-upon-Thames … … … … 63 1 111 Merton … … … … 155 11 469 Newham … … … … 84 2 189 Redbridge … … … … 85 6 336 Richmond-upon-Thames … … … … 185 7 78 Sutton … … … … 42 5 336 Waltham Forest … … … … 200 34 104 SOUTHERN REGION: TOTAL … … … 2,033 189 4,300 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Dorset … … … … 309 21 779 Hampshire … … … … 270 85 645 Isle of Wight … … … … 19 1 112 Kent … … … … 747 53 667 Surrey … … … … 374 4 944 East Sussex … … … … 81 14 460 West Sussex … … … … 100 3 308 Wiltshire … … … … 133 8 385
Installation of Local Authority Telephones Attachments Telephone Rental SOUTHERN WESTERN REGION: TOTAL … … 653 48 1,786 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Avon … … … … … 216 8 698 Cornwall … … … … … 64 3 152 Devon … … … … … 147 20 493 Gloucestershire … … … … … 195 16 432 Somerset … … … … … 31 1 11 WALES: TOTAL … … … … … 1,270 40 2,260 Non-Metropolitan Counties: Clwyd … … … … … 280 20 900 Dyfed … … … … … 150 5 390 Gwent … … … … … 70 — 150 Gwynedd … … … … … 90 — 160 Mid-Glamorgan … … … … … 80 — 80 Powys … … … … … 10 — 30 South Glamorgan … … … … … 200 5 220 West Glamorgan … … … … … 390 10 330 The figure for installations of telephones and attachments relates only to the initial installation during 1974–75. The figure for rentals excludes cases where telephones and attachments were installed for the first time during that year.
As my hon. Friend will understand, the total number of telephones provided since the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 came into force is substantially greater than that shown above.
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TABLE 2 REGISTERED BLIND PEOPLE AGED 16 AND OVER ON 31ST MARCH 1975 (ENGLAND AND WALES) Local Authority NORTHERN REGION: Non-Metropolitan Counties: Cleveland 1,000 Cumbria 910 Durham 1,180 Northumberland 500 Metropolitan County—Tyne and Wear: Districts Gateshead 420 Newcastle upon Tyne 640 North Tyneside 310 South Tyneside 480 Sunderland 490 YORKSHIRE REGION: Non-Metropolitan Counties: Humberside 1,730 North Yorkshire 1,400 Metropolitan County—South Yorkshire: Districts Barnsley 550 Doncaster 640 Rotherham 490 Sheffield 1,110
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Local Authority Metropolitan County—West Yorkshire: Districts Bradford 1,080 Calderdale 330 Kirklees 630 Leeds 1,830 Wakefield 660 NORTH WESTERN REGION: Non-Metropolitan Counties: Cheshire 1,710 Lancashire 3,170 Metropolitan County—Greater Manchester: Districts Bolton 640 Bury 380 Manchester 1,250 Oldham 580 Rochdale 500 Salford 660 Stockport 520 Tameside 450 Trafford 380 Wigan 500 Metropolitan County—Merseyside: Districts Knowsley 410 Liverpool 1,560 Sefton 570 St. Helens 370 Wirral 970 WEST MIDLANDS REGION: Non-Metropolitan Counties: Hereford and Worcester 1,130 Salop 660 Staffordshire 1,600 Warwickshire 830 Metropolitan County—West Midlands: Districts Birmingham 1,930 Coventry 550 Dudley 520 Sandwell 650 Solihull 180 Walsall 600 Wolverhampton 510
Local Authority EAST MIDLANDS REGION: Non-Metropolitan Counties: Derbyshire 2,170 Leicestershire 1,820 Lincolnshire 1,080 Northamptonshire 910 Nottinghamshire 1,960 LONDON NORTH REGION: Non-Metropolitan Counties: Bedfordshire 840 Berkshire 920 Buckinghamshire 730 Cambridgeshire 840 Essex 2,930 Hertfordshire 1,600 Norfolk 1,200 Oxfordshire 780 Suffolk 1,130 LONDON CENTRAL REGION: Camden 440 Greenwich 410 Hackney 560 Hammersmith 510 Islington 410 Kensington 350 Lambeth 700 Lewisham 590 Southwark 670 Tower Hamlets 450 Wandsworth 730 Westminster 510 City of London 2 OUTER LONDON: Barking 310 Barnet 830 Bexley 340 Brent 540 Bromley 650 Croydon 680 Ealing 640
TABLE 3 Country Date Number of Registered Bind People aged 16 and over England … … … … 31st March 1975 … … … 97,000 Wales … … … … 31st March 1975 … … … 6,500 Scotland … … … … 31st December 1974 … … … 9,900 (provisional) Northern Ireland* … … … … — Not available * The information is not yet available but will be sent to my hon. Friend as soon as possible. Information is not available about the proportion of cases helped where local authorities make a charge or about the number of telephones provided for blind adults.
The cost of providing all blind adults with free telephones is estimated at £4.4 million for installation charges and £3.2 million annually for rental charges.