§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make changes to the payments limits and earnings disregard operated by the Independent Living Funds. [107383]
§ Mr. BayleyI am pleased to be able to announce changes to both the ILF payment limits and the earnings disregard. The limit for payments from the Extension Fund will be increased from £560 a week to £625 a week, and the £300 a week limit for 1993 Fund cases will be raised to £375 per week. Within the 1993 Fund the overall joint limit, in conjunction with local authorities, on care packages that can be funded will be raised from £500 a week to £625 a week.
A more generous disregard of earnings will also be introduced, to allow those severely disabled people who are able to work to gain greater reward from that work. At present only the first £30 a week of reckonable earnings is disregarded. In future, in addition to this £30 a week of reckonable earnings is disregarded. In future, in addition to this £30, the Funds will also disregard 45 per cent. of the remaining earnings up to a maximum of £200 reckonable earnings per week. The new disregard will apply to household earnings, not just the earnings of the disabled person. The changes will come into effect immediately.