§ 15. Mr. TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what further discussions he has had with organisations of and for disabled people on the survey findings of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.
§ Mr. ScottI met separately representatives of the Disability Benefits Consortium and the Disablement Income Group in May to listen to their views on the first OPCS reports. Since then, we have continued to receive comments both from individuals and other interested organisations.
§ Mr. TurnerDid the Minister listen to those organisations when they told him that the majority of disabled people were living on or below the poverty level? Did he listen to those organisations when they told him that disabled people were living on incomes which, taking into account the cost of disability, are £39 a week less than those for non-disabled people? Will the Minister tell us when this Government are going to do something for the needs of disabled people?
§ Mr. ScottWhen I met those organisations, we did not have all the OPCS reports in front of us. Now that we can look at them, we find that in terms of financial circumstances, about 70 per cent. are satisfied with their standard of living, few are in financial difficulties and the allowances paid for the extra cost of disability, such as attendance allowance and mobility allowance, more than cover the extra cost incurred.