HL Deb 27 January 1982 vol 426 cc947-9
Baroness Lane-Fox

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government by how much the expenditure on social security benefits for disabled people has risen in real terms since 1978–79.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Elton)

My Lords, the estimated expenditure on cash benefits for long-term sick and disabled people in 1981–82 is £2,781 million. This represents an increase of about 6 per cent. in real terms over the 1978–79 figure.

Baroness Lane-Fox

My Lords, in congratulating my noble friend the Minister on that very encouraging reply, particularly in this difficult time and especially in regard to the substantial improvement in the mobility allowance, I ask for his assurance that improvement in the benefits for disabled people will still be a priority with the Government.

Lord Elton

My Lords, although the numbers of people who are in receipt of benefit have increased, the amount of benefit paid has increased out of proportion to that, and mobility allowance has in fact gone up by 65 per cent. since this Government came into office. We are committed to a coherent system of benefits for disabled people. Our success in this will of course depend on the success we have with the economy as a whole.

Baroness Jeger

My Lords, before the Minister gets too complacent about that situation, may I ask him how much of this total increase is due to the fact that there are more people applying for benefits and therefore the per capita increase is not related to the figure he has given? I should also like to ask him how much of the increase is due to benefits which were introduced by the previous Government. Secondly, does the noble Lord not agree with the Minister in another place who on 27th July honestly admitted that the invalidity pension for single persons and married couples had fallen by 4 per cent. since 1979 due to the abatement of the 1980 uprating? What compensation are this Government giving to those people who have suffered a decrease?

Lord Elton

My Lords, I hesitate to give an answer as long as the question, particularly as in fact it is not possible to state the number of beneficiaries in receipt of benefit because many individuals receive two or more benefits. I have here a table of the numbers of benefits broken down under the different benefits paid, and I will have that placed in the record. In fact, I acknowledged in my original Answer that the number of beneficiaries has gone up and that the increase in benefit is not pro rata, but the increase in the money is proportionately greater than the increase in the number of beneficiaries.

Baroness Lane-Fox

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend the Minister to state whether the Government are satisfied with the present level of take-up of benefits by disabled people?

Lord Elton

My Lords, it is not easy to tell how many people are not taking up benefit, but there has been a steady increase in the numbers taking up benefit, and we did at the outset of the IYDP last year publish a pamphlet, Help for the Handicapped, which has been widely taken up itself, and I think this contributes to the increase in take-up.

Baroness Jeger

My Lords, I apologise for asking another question, but I did not hear the noble Lord answer my question about what the Government are proposing to do about the admitted fall of 4 per cent. in pensions for single and married people getting invalidity pensions. Are the Government going to make up that shortfall or not?

Lord Elton

My Lords, I cannot say when the abatements will be made up. I can say that the Government stand by their undertaking on the 2 per cent. with which your Lordships are familiar. Reverting to the noble Baroness's earlier question, the increase in expenditure over the period since we came to power is in fact 6.4 per cent. more than the general movement of prices between July 1978 and November 1981. That quantifies my previous answer.

Lord Campbell of Croy

My Lords, are the Government ready to make adjustments in future so that there is more emphasis on benefits and services made available to severely disabled people who are able to live in their own homes rather than in hospitals or institutions, since this is more cost effective and also much better for them since most of them want to be as independent as they can be?

Lord Elton

My Lords, your Lordships will know that attendance allowance and invalidity care allowance are already covered by our undertaking on benefits for long-term sick and disabled people. I shall certainly bear my noble friend's remarks in mind at any time when this is reviewed.

Following is the table referred to above:
Latest figure 1979
Invalidity benefit … … 614,500 (May 1980) 609,000 (June)
Non-contributory invalidity pension … … … 125,900 (May 1980) 119,000 (June)
Non-contributory invalidity pension for married women … … … 44,700 (May 1980) 42,900 (June)
Attendance allowance … 295,000 (September 1980) (estimated) 267,000 (June estimated)
Mobility allowance … 210,000 (December 1981) 116,000 (June)
Industrial disablement pension … … … 195,000 (September 1980) (provisional) 198,000 (September)
War disablement pension … 259,000 (September 1981) 278,000 (September)
Old scheme (workmen's compensation) … … 6,000 (September 1980) 6,000 (September)
Supplementary Benefit: Sick and Disabled—with invalidity benefit for non-contributory invalidity pension … … 83,000 (December 1980) 79,000 (November)
—without another incapacity benefit (these figures include short-term as well as long-term sick) … … 99,000 (December 1980) 109,000 (November)
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