Disabled Persons

HC Deb 11 June 1976 vol 912 cc800-3W

Mr. George

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many telephones, adaptations, aids, televisions, radios, television and radio licences and holidays, respectively, have been provided for the disabled by the Walsall Metropolitan District Council since 1974 and by its predecessor, the Walsall Borough Council since 1970; if he will express these figures in terms of households

HOUSEHOLDS ASSISTED PER 100,000 TOTAL POPULATION
			Walsall CB	Walsall MD	England
			1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
Telephone installation	…	…	22	29	13	36	47	47
Telephone attachments	…	…	—	—	—	2	2	3
Telephone rental	…	…	28	44	62	26	62	101
Television (supply)	…	…	4	11	3	5	5	5
Television licence	…	…	17	31	31	9	14	35
Radio (supply)	…	…	—	—	—	2	2	1
Other personal aids	…	…	73	252	275	255	307	343
Adaptations (all property)	…	81	92	42	61	84	89
Holidays*	…	…	182	202	188	175	193	226

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS ASSISTED
			Walsall CB	Walsall MD
			1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
Telephone installation	…	…	40	50	3
Telephone attachments	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil
Telephone rental	…	…	50	80	170
Television (supply)	…	…	10	20	10
Television licence	…	…	30	60	80
Radio (supply)	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil
Other personal aids	…	…	130	460	740
Adaptations (all property)	…	150	170	110
Holidays*	…	…	330	370	510
* This figure relates to persons, not households

EXPENDITURE ON ADAPTATIONS, AIDS, TELEPHONES AND HOLIDAYS PER 1,000 POPULATION
			1972–73 £	1973–74 £	1974–75 £
Walsall CB	…	…	5,542	9,372	Nil
Walsall MD	…	…	Nil	Nil	13,644
England and Wales	…	…	7,927	13,599	16,221

Mr. George Grant

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many telephones have been installed annually in the county of Northumberland under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

Mr. Alfred Morris

Numbers of households where assistance was given with the installation and/or rental of a telephone under either Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, or Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Acts 1968 in the case of the frail elderly, were as follows:

assisted per 100,000 total and also in relation to the national average; and how the total expenditure for Walsall contrasts with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Alfred Morris

Numbers of households assisted since 1972–73, the earliest year for which information is available, and figures of expenditure compared with the total for England and Wales—the United Kingdom total is not readily available—are as follows:

	1972–73*	1973–74	1974–75
Installations	72	140	45
Attachments	3	6	3
Rentals	50	90	40

The population of the county of Northumberland is now approximately 55 per cent. of the population before local government reorganization in April 1974.

^* The earliest period for which information is available.

Mr. Terry Walker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many telephones have been installed annually in the county of Avon under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

Mr. Alfred Morris

During the year ending 31st March 1975 the position was as follows:

Telephones and attachments	224
Rentals	698

Prior to local government reorganisation in 1974 the county of Avon formed parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Provision may have been made under Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 as well as the 1970 Act in the case of frail elderly people who are not disabled.