§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many vehicle road fund licences his Department pays on behalf of disabled persons; and what publicity is given to this scheme of assistance.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisIn England about 27,000 vehicles supplied by my Depart-230W ment and some 19,000 vehicles in respect of which a private car allowance is paid are exempt from licence duty under the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971. Under the Finance Act 1971 exemption can also be obtained for a vehicle whose registered keeper is sufficiently disabled to satisfy the medical criteria for an invalid tricycle but too disabled to drive one and who needs to be looked after and driven by a constant attendant. Some 850 new applicants annually are issued by my Department with certificates enabling them to claim this exemption. Advice on applying for exemption is given in the booklet "Help for handicapped people" obtainable from local social security offices and the social services departments of local authorities. My Department does, of course, provide grants to a number of organisations to help with publicity and information over the whole field of disability..
§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the total expenditure allocated to the capital cost, adaptation, insurance, servicing, attendance at breakdowns, repairs, reconditioning, garaging, making good accident damage, petrol allowance, maintenance allowance, carriage, driving tuition and maintenance of reserve vehicles, respectively, in relation to the supply by his Department of invalid tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, as at 31st March 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively;
(2) what were the total amounts, less capital cost, spent on invalid tricycle repairs, maintenance, garaging, tax, insurance, driving tuition, maintaining reserve vehicles and petrol allowances, under each respective heading as recorded by his Department as at 31st March 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977, respectively;
(3) what were the total amounts, less capital cost, spent on the adaptation of four-wheeled vehicles, insurance, tax, driving tuition and maintenance allowances, under each respective heading as recorded by his Department as at 31st March 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively.
§ Mr. Alfred Morris, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th November 231W 1977; Vol. 939, c. 137–8], gave the following revised information
The figure given for expenditure on the repair, adaptation and maintenance of three-wheelers should be £3,144,662—not £3,263,733 as stated.