HC Deb 09 July 1990 vol 176 cc72-3W
Mr. Terry Fields

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security(a) how many people who apply for mobility allowance are refused after their initial medical; and how many are awarded the benefit, (b) how many appeal against refusal; how many are subsequently awarded the benefit after a further examination at a medical centre, and how many are refused; and (c) how many are awarded mobility allowance resulting from an appeal to a medical appeal tribunal and how many are refused; and if he will express these figures for each region over the past 12 months.

Mr. Scott

Information is not available in the form requested. The available information, which relates to decisions made during the year ending 31 March 1990, is as follows:

Decision in claimant's favour Decision adverse to claimant
Decisions on initial claims 105,500 113,590
Decisions on renewal claims 29,490 10,800
Appeals and references decided by medical boards 6,989 18,675
Appeals decided by medical appeal tribunals 2,821 5,980

As mobility allowance is administered centrally, it is not possible to break those figures down by regions.

Mr. Terry Fields

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will commission research into the possibility of extending mobility allowance or the mobility component of the disability allowance to people with a mental handicap and behaviour problems; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Scott

On 10 January we laid before Parliament "The Way Ahead: Benefits for Disabled People", which details our major proposals arising from our review of the balance and structure of social security benefits for disabled people and their carers. One of the proposals concerns the introduction of a new disability allowance for people of working age or below which will extend help to less severely disabled people, and will also subsume the help currently provided through attendance allowance and mobility allowance. The initial rate of the mobility component—set at £10—will be awarded to people who are not independently mobile, for example those with a severe mental handicap or behavioural disturbance, and who do not otherwise fulfil the current criteria for mobility allowance. We estimate that 150,000 people will receive this new form of help.