§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that local authorities are sufficiently assiduous in drawing possible entitlement to benefits to the attention of persons with whom they are in contact, in particular with those attending day centres; if he will encourage them to mount specific attempts to increase take-up in the light of the increase in benefits payable where this has been done, and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Alfred MorrisI am naturally most sympathetic to my hon. Friend's intention and will let him have a fuller reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what surveys are conducted by, or on behalf of, his Department to assess take-up of benefits paid specifically to meet the needs of handicapped people such as attendance allowance, mobility allowance and awards from the Family Fund;
(2) what research is being undertaken by his Department to discover what benefits are being received by a representative sample of handicapped people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisThere are considerable difficulties in obtaining samples of handicapped people. To ensure that any one sample was fully representative, an extensive survey would have to be mounted. My hon. Friend may like to know that the Department has, however, sponsored a number of limited surveys to investigate the take-up of benefits payable to handicapped people. These include:
University of York Social Policy Research Unit.—(1) Research concerning the income and expenditure of families with handicapped children: The sources of income, including benefits, as well as the expenditure of families with handicapped children, will be investigated. Particular inquiries will be made on items purchased solely on account of the child's handicap. The information will be analysed and compared with data derived from comparable families without handicapped children collected through the Family Expenditure Survey. The study is expected to cover 500 families geographically spread throughout England and Wales and will last for two years. In addition there will be more detailed studies of 50 individual families drawn from the main sample. Expected completion date for follow-up interviews is October 1978.
(2) Resource workers for families with handicapped children: Specialist advisers (resource workers) working with families containing handicapped children will advise the families of the services and benefits to which they are entitled, from existing voluntary and statutory agencies. The circumstances of the families studied will be monitored over a period of two years to see how far the resource workers 895W enable families with handicapped children to obtain and make more effective use of the benefits and services available to them. The study will cover 250 families in 10 AHAs in the North and North-West of England. Expected completion date is October 1980.
(3) Survey of mobility allowance beneficiaries: The survey aims to find out the uses to which the mobility allowance is put and the extent of recipients' mobility outside their homes. Information about travelling costs, usual mobility, need for escort, car ownership, income, use of transport services for the disabled and opinions about the mobility allowance will be sought. The SPRU is undertaking a study of about 500 child beneficiaries (aged 5 to 15), DHSS Social Research Branch is responsible for a study of about 500 adult beneficiaries (aged 16 to 49). Expected completion date is December 1978.
University of London Chelsea College.—(4) Study of Invalidity Pensioners who are able to do some work: A small sample of pensioners in hospital in one London region is being interviewed by the researchers. A study of hospitals and local authority day centres as "employers" of invalidity pensioners has been completed. The field work stage is now being undertaken. Expected completion date is March 1979.