§ 17. Mr. van Straubenzeeasked the Minister of Social Security how many disabled persons have been helped so far by her Department's recommendations on the administration of the wage stop that the requirement to register for work could be removed and with it the obligation to apply the wage stop.
§ Mrs. HartI would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Orpington (Mr. Lubbock) on 11th June on this subject. Disabled claimants subject to the wage stop have, of course, benefited very considerably from the decisions of the Commission already implemented, and from the increases in family allowances—[Vol. 766, c. 24.]
Mr. van SrraubenzeeWhile I appreciate the Answer previously given, may I ask whether the right hon. Lady, particularly after her experiences yesterday, does not appreciate that this Question deals with only a small section of those to whom she was addressing her remarks? Does not she feel that the suggestion made in the Question would, if quickly implemented, be of real effect to a large number of disabled people?
§ Mrs. HartYes, I think that it will. We certainly intend to implement it as quickly as we can. What the hon. Member does not, perhaps, appreciate is that every disabled case on the wage stop has to be examined individually by a member of my staff in consultation with the Department of Employment and Productivity and, perhaps, with the local authority. It is bound to take time simply to work one's way through the number of cases, but the process is now going on as fast as we can conduct it.