§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list those physical conditions which result in a mental handicap which in turn renders people unable to walk; and what is his estimate of the number of people suffering from each such condition who are affected in this way;
(2) what advice he has received concerning the dependence or otherwise of the human locomotor system on cerebral activity; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will list those mental disablements which render the sufferer unable to walk but which are not caused by a physical condition; if he will specify the non-physical cause in each case; and what is his estimate of the number of sufferers in each case who are affected in this way.
§ Mr. Ennals, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 14th February 1978; Vol. 944, c. 112–3], gave the following answer:
I am advised that the co-ordinated functioning of the human locomotor system depends on effective cerebral activity.
My medical advisors tell me that though in many cases the precise nature of the physical cause is not known, all severe mental handicap, as distinct from mild mental handicap, is believed to have a physical cause which results in incomplete development of the brain or in damage to the brain cells or their activities. Commoner causes of severe mental handicap include chromosomal abnormality (as in Down's Syndrome), and some forms of brain damage. Rarer causes include a great variety of genetically determined conditions. Severe mental handicap may, irrespective of its 395W precise physical cause, sometimes result in inability to walk. Mild mental handicap does not of itself lead to inability to walk—this would only arise from associated mental or physical handicap.
I am also advised that inability to walk may occur as a result of mental illness, including for instance, schizophrenia, depression, hysteria and severe anxiety states, though such a result is nowadays extremely rare. There is no general agreement on the causation of these conditions.
The figures requested by my hon. Friend are not available.