§ Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list the total expenditure allocated to the capital cost, adaptation, insurance, servicing, attendance at breakdowns, repairs, reconditioning, garaging, making good accident damage, petrol allowance, maintenance allowance, carriage, driving tuition and maintenance of reserve vehicles, respectively, in relation to the supply by her Department of invalid tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the years 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75, respectively.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisThe accounts do not detail the expenditure in this way, but in total the figures for England are:
Cars Three-wheelers £ million £ million 1970–71 1.192 3.245 1971–72 1.245 4.253 1972–73 1.653 4.275 1973–74 2.270 4.697 1974–75 2.516 5.321 Car users are responsible for repairs and maintenance assisted by a quarterly allowance paid by the Department. The full cost of these items is not, of course, known to the Department. The cost of making good accident damage is paid for by our insurers under a comprehensive 114W insurance policy. There is no reserve fleet of cars.
§ Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average annual cost per head involved in the issue to the disabled of invalid tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the years 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75, respectively.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisFollowing are the figures for England expressed as a unit cost per vehicle on issue including reserve three-wheelers at 30th September each year:
Cars Three-wheelers £ £ 1970–71 178 163 1971–72 181 208 1972–73 227 215 1973–74 275 236 1974–75 268 267 The figures for cars do not include any repair or servicing costs which may be met by the users over and above the maintenance allowances paid by the Department. All the figures are historic costs and do not represent the cost of providing and maintaining vehicles at current prices. They do not include administration costs.
§ Mr. Joseph Deanasked the Secretary of State for the Social Services if she will make a statement on the report of the Parliamentary Commissioner on the invalid tricycle and on the action she proposes to take in the light of the report.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisThe Government fully share the Parliamentary Commissioner's concern that continuing efforts should be made to promote the safety of disabled drivers. The action to improve the arrangements for driving tuition and vehicle maintenance, which I referred to in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Lomas) on 13th October—[Vol. 897, c.614.]—should contribute to that end. The Parliamentary Commissioner's report did not make specific recommendations, but all the matters covered in it are being taken fully into account in our ongoing consideration of the provision of invalid tricycles and the extended mobility help we shall soon be giving to severely disabled people.