HC Deb 23 January 2001 vol 361 cc508-9W
Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much funding the Government provided to Motability in each year since it was founded, broken down into(a) the equipment fund, (b) the administration fund and (c) any other payments. [146346]

Mr. Bayley

The information is as follows:

Details of funding allocated to Motability since the scheme's inception
£000
Mobility equipment fund/drivers fund Administration Other
1977–78 12
1978–79 168
1979–80 229
1980–81 290
1981–82 310
1982–83 333
1983–84 336
1984–85 348
1985–86 517
1986–87 660
1987–88 682
1988–89 780
1989–90 516 15,000
1990–91 1,112
1991–92 1,000 1,797
1992–93 1,000 1,835
1993–94 2,000 2,085
1994–95 3,000 3,940
1995–96 3,000 4,069
1996–97 3,000 4,488
1997–98 3,000 4,646
1998–99 3,000 4,646
1999–2000 4,000 3,897
2000–01 5,700 2,200
1 Interest-free loan to establish the Tenth Anniversary Trust

Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what extra resources he will make available to Motability as a result of the extension of higher rate mobility to three and four-year-olds. [146358]

Mr. Bayley

About 6,000 children are estimated to gain from the extension of the higher rate Motability component to three and four-year-olds at annual cost of £15 million. They will be able to take the cash benefit or use it to pay for a standard vehicle through the Motability main scheme. Those that require an adapted vehicle will be able to make application to the Motability Equipment Fund (MEF), administered on behalf of the Government by Motability.

From a base of £2 million per annum, an additional £2.4 million was made available to the MEF from 2000–01, and from 2001–02 an extra £1 million per annum is being provided which, with additional contributions from Motability's Tenth Anniversary Trust, is expected to meet overall demand over the next three years.