§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the general statutory criteria under which local authorities are empowered to make a grant towards the installation and/or rental of a telephone in the homes of disabled persons, and/or retirement pensioners.
§ Mr. AlisonSection 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, 1970 requires the appropriate local authorities in England and Wales to examine the need of substantially and permanently handicapped people, including elderly handicapped people, for a telephone. If satisfied of a need in a particular case they are to make arrangements for providing the person with a telephone or assisting him to obtain one. Provisional minimum criteria for the assessment of need suggested by the local authority Associations to their members were printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT for 8th June, 1971, but I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the Associations' circular of 17th March, 1971, for his fuller information.—[Vol. 818, c.300–1.]
§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many disabled persons received financial help, from which local authorities, for the installation and rental, respectively, of telephones in 1971, 1970 and 1969, respectively; what percentage of these persons in each year were retirement pensioners; and what was the total cost per year.
§ Mr. AlisonI would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Alfred Morris) on 30th November.—[Vol. 827, c.52.]