§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress she has made in the method of identification of incapacity to do house work in relation to the non-contributory invalidity pension.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisPriority must, of course, be given to the benefits which are being introduced first; but a great deal of effort is being put into the search for a scheme for the housewives' non-contributory invalidity pension that will be workable and fair. Both professional and lay administrative staff are studying the problem in depth. Discussions have been held with outside experts in the fields of disabled living and functional assessment, and further meetings of this kind are planned. Information has been collected on foreign schemes which benefit disabled housewives; in addition a doctor and a lay official from the Department have visited Switzerland to obtain first-hand experience of that country's arrangements in operation. Two series of meetings between officials and representatives of the Disablement Income Group and the Parliamentary All-party Disablement Group respectively are providing a most useful forum for the exchange of ideas. I am very grateful to all who are taking part in these meetings, including the hon. Lady, my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) and the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Mr. Price). I am anxious to keep up the impetus.