HC Deb 21 December 1976 vol 923 cc100-3W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will extend the mobility allowance to deaf/blind people.

Mr. Alfred Morris

As my hon. Friend will be aware, eligibility for the mobility allowance is not linked to membership of particular diagnostic or disability groups, but to being unable or virtually unable to walk. The disabled person's ability to move his or her legs is not, however, the only factor taken into account. Other factors include balance, tolerance of the exertion necessary to walk and existence of pain or other adverse effects. Thus the dual hardship my hon. Friend refers to may be a factor in the award of mobility allowance. As my hon. Friend knows, if a person has no useful hearing and no guiding vision he may well be able to establish entitlement to attendance allowance.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will ensure that hostels for the handicapped are wining to accept deaf/blind children for short periods to give their parents a break;

(2) the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will hold consultations with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and the Royal National Institute for the Blind to discuss the special problems of deaf /blind people;

(3) how many deaf /blind children there are in Great Britain;

(4) how many children are born deaf/ blind or become deaf/blind each year on average;

(5) what steps he is taking to reduce the likelihood of children being born deaf/blind;

(6) what provision is made to assist the parents of deaf /blind children and provide them with effective guidance;

(7) if he will take steps to improve the liaison between doctors concerned with the birth of deaf/blind children and specialist advisers;

(8) if he will ensure the involvement of parents in planning for the management and care of deaf/blind children from the time of their birth;

(9) if he is satisfied with the home-help service available to deaf/blind children and their families during the pre-school period.

Mr. Alfred Morris

I am in close contact with the three voluntary bodies concerned, namely, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and the National Association for Deaf/Blind and Rubella Handicapped, about issues affecting deaf/blind young people and children alike. I am not able to quantify the extent of service or benefit provision for the group, including the giving of advice to parents and the provision of home help, as statistical returns do not provide the necessary information. I will be glad to consider, however, whether additional information can be collected.

Local authorities in England have reported approximately 300 children below the age of 16 who are registered as blind with either a serious degree of hearing impairment or with multiple handicaps including a sensory or speech handicap. There will also be a number of partially sighted children handicapped in similar respects. Moreover, a number of multiple handicapped children will be permanently in hospital or for other reasons will not be registered. I am inquiring about numbers in Scotland and Wales and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as the information is to hand.

I understand that the annual returns collected by the Department of Education and Science show that there are of the order of 70 children under the age of five and 470 children of school age in England and Wales with defects of both sight and hearing. The National Association for Deaf/Blind and Rubella Handicapped has reported that 106 children were in educational units for the deaf/blind in Great Britain in September 1976, but this did not represent the total as other children with varying degrees of the dual handicap were being taught in other types of school. A survey carried out by the association in 1972 found 95 children and young people under age 20 who were deaf/blind and 65 who were blind or deaf with an additional handicap in subnormality hospitals in England and Wales. The difficulty of defining the nature and severity of disability is reflected in the variations in the figures quoted and make it impossible to estimate how many children are born deaf/blind or become deaf/blind each year.

As regards prevention, my hon. Friend will be aware of the current programmes for making available rubella vaccination to girls aged 11 to 14 and to women of child-bearing age.

Social services departments are well aware of the need to liaise with the doctor concerned where a child is born handicapped and, in all cases, my Department has advocated the multi-discipilinary assessment of each child's physical and mental progress and future educational and social needs. The Department has also urged the involvement of parents in the planning process.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research is being conducted into the early behaviour patterns of deaf/blind children to facilitate early recognition and prevent the overlay of additional problems.

Mr. Alfred Morris

My Department is currently supporting a research project at the Institute of Mental Subnormality at Lea Castle Hospital, which is concerned with the assessment and management of multi-handicapped deaf /blind children and their behaviour. The institute plans to publish in April 1977 a manual for teachers and parents of deaf/blind children entitled "First Steps on the Ladder".

The Gardeners Trust for the Blind is currently supporting a study on short-term memory tests at the Pathway Unit, Condover Hall School, Shrewsbury.

Reading University, in conjunction with the Mary Sheridan Children's Unit at Borocourt Hospital, is conducting a small pilot study which involves some aspects of the behaviour patterns of deaf/blind children. Although there is not a great deal of research specifically related to the early behaviour patterns of deaf/blind children, the projects in progress have regard both to their behaviour patterns and emotional problems.