Age Concern: Mobility Report (Hansard, 18 April 1994)

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, the Government are committed to working to increase the opportunities for independent mobility among older people. We received Age Concern's report and welcome its campaign on transport, both to raise the profile of this important issue and to stimulate further progress.

§ Lord Stallard
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Viscount for his reply, though he might have been rather more specific in welcoming the excellent report covering a broad range of problems affecting older people in regard to mobility. Will the Government support the proposals of Age Concern for a national scheme of uniform concessionary fares? Also, what do the Government intend to do to encourage local authorities to include transport as a necessary part of their community care schemes to ensure that community care services reach the people and that people can reach community care services?

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, the Government believe that the decision on whether or not to provide concessionary fares should be made by local authorities as they know local needs and the costs involved. We recognise the specific problems that exist in rural areas and that is why local authorities possess powers to 2 subsidise socially necessary services where operators are not prepared to run them commercially after competitive tender. We issued extensive guidance to local authorities to ensure that the needs of users and carers are central to the provision of community care services.

§ Lord Carmichael of Kelvingrove
My Lords, I know that the Minister studied the report and I am sure that he will agree with my noble friend Lord Stallard that it is an excellent and comprehensive report. However, will the Government accept that there should be more encouragement for those involved in Age Concern? Will he consider persuading his department, in co-operation with the Department of Health and perhaps the Department of the Environment, to prepare a reasoned reply to the report? He may then he able to explain, more fully than he can in this short Question time, the Government's total attitude towards the growing problem of mobility for the aged?

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, I agree that it is a wide and important subject. I shall take the noble Lord's remarks and suggestions back to my right honourable friend.

§ Baroness Robson of Kiddington
My Lords, does the Minister agree that people living in rural areas suffer more than anybody else? We are all grateful for the London bus pass and it helps many elderly people, but where I live the allowance is £17 for 12 months and it costs £2 to go into the nearest main town. The allowance therefore does not give elderly people much help. Quite apart from that, they often have to walk for over a mile to reach a bus stop.

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, as I said, we recognise the specific problems of rural areas and that is why local authorities possess powers to subsidise socially necessary services. In calculating standard spending assessment and revenue support grant, account is taken of the need for such services.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, will the noble Viscount take into consideration something that we all witness at least once a day if we use buses? I refer to the difficulty that old and infirm people experience in boarding and alighting from buses, and sometimes in getting down to the Underground. I hope the noble Viscount agrees that those points are worthy of consideration.

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, the Department of Transport and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee produced a specification in 1988 for buses to make them easier to use by ambulant, disabled and older people. Significant progress has already been made and it is estimated that 90 per cent. of new buses have at least some of the features recommended in the specification.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, is the noble Viscount aware that one of the major disabilities is that of visual impairment? There is still little evidence of tactile signs being provided at bus stops. Perhaps the noble Viscount will direct his attention to that problem.

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Tordoff, highlights an important issue. In the specification recommended features include lower step heights, better lighting, step-edge markings, textured and colour contrasted handrails and stanchions, bell pushers that are reachable to seated passengers and bus stopping signs.

§ Lord Stallard
My Lords, does the noble Viscount agree that the report relates not only to transport but also to the problems on the road. Older people need to walk on the roads as well but they are not built for elderly people; they are built for cars. There are insufficient crossing facilities. In most districts pavements are bad and traffic is increasing all the time without extra provisions being made for older people.

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, the Department of Transport has developed the new so-called puffin crossings in response to requests from users for improved crossing facilities. This new crossing detects the presence of pedestrians on a crossing and varies the time the red signal is shown according to the needs of the pedestrian.