§ Mr. James Wellbeloved (Erith and Crayford)This week has been an important Week for blind people. The plight of blind people has been brought before public opinion by the presentation of a petition signed by 461,716 people. It is my honour and privilege to present that petition to the House this morning. It states:
To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.The Humble Petition of the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the National League for the Blind and Disabled and the National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom on behalf of all blind people in the United Kingdom, together with that of their wellwishers, friends and supporters,ShewethThat there exists no social benefit which adequately compensates all blind people for the admitted extra living costs imposed by their handicap;That there have been introduced divers benefits in recent years designed to help many disabled people, to wit, the Attendance Allowance, the Mobility Allowance, the Non-contributory Invalidity Pension and the Housewife's Non-contributory Invalidity Pension, which benefits are greatly welcomed as a notable advance in social provision; but from which most blind people are in practice excluded;That provision for the blind in this country now lags far behind that of many other countries, including cur major European partners; and including a number of less prosperous countries as well as the leading industrial nations:That the Government has acknowledged that the case for a benefit to help blind people with the extra living costs imposed by blindness is now unanswerable;That the ultimate solution lies in the introduction of a comprehensive and properly structured disability income;That those who have the misfortune to be afflicted by blindness have for all these reasons a legitimate grievance needing immediate relief;Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House may at the earliest possible date pass legislation to make a benefit payable to all registered blind people over the age of 16 on grounds of blindness alone;And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.
§ To lie upon the Table.