§ 28. Mr. Brockwayasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what reply has been made to the letter addressed by the National League for the Blind to the Chairman of the National Assistance Board urging increases in payments to blind persons.
§ The Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter)I assume that the hon. Member is referring to a letter addressed by the secretary of the National League of the Blind to the Secretary of the National Assistance Board on 3rd February. A reply explaining the position was sent on 24th February. I sent the hon. Member a copy of this on 14th June.
§ Mr. BrockwayWhilst I appreciated that reply, does not the right hon. Gentleman think that in this affluent society it is desirable that we should do more to assist those whose position is worse, particularly the blind persons in our community who are today very often having a difficult time to make ends meet? Does he not regard the advances of only 3s. 6d. for a single person and 5s. for a married couple as utterly inadequate with the cost of living as it is today?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterOn the latter part of that question, I would invite the attention of the hon. Member to the fact that the scale rates of National Assistance are now, in terms of purchasing power, higher than ever before. On the subject matter of his Question, he will be aware of the fact that these special differential rates for the tuberculous and the blind have lost a great deal of their significance and importance in view of the very wide use in comparable cases of the discretionary powers bestowed by this House on the Board.