§ Mr. G. Thomas78, 79 and 80. asked the Minister of Health (1) whether he is aware that a Grangetown, Cardiff, disabled person, whose name has been supplied to him, has been waiting several weeks for the repair of his car; that this man has to leave his home two hours earlier than usual in order to hobble to work on crutches; and whether he will make a statement;
(2) the number of disabled persons in Cardiff who have been waiting for more than four weeks for the repair of their Ministry of Pensions cars; and whether he will make a statement;
173W(3) the number of firms in Cardiff who are selected by his Department for dealing with repairs to cars for disabled persons; what complaints he has had about the delay in completing repairs; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodI assume the hon. Member has in mind the repair of motor-propelled tricycles. Two disabled persons in Cardiff have been waiting more than four weeks, and in each case a major overhaul is involved. One firm undertakes the work and a certain number of complaints of delay have been received, particularly where difficulty has arisen in obtaining spare parts from the manufacturers. This was the cause of the delay in the individual case mentioned by the hon. Member, but I am informed that the parts needed were obtained on 29th January and the machine was returned to the patient on 1st February.