HC Deb 20 December 1976 vol 923 cc55-6W
Mr. Hannam

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the numbers of accidents involving invalid tricycles, divided into various degrees of severity for the past five years for (a) the Manchester area and (b) the rest of the country.

Mr. Alfred Morris

The information could not be assembled without a disproportionate use of resources.

Mr. Hannam

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of invalid tricycle users who have surrendered their tricycles during each year since 1971 in the following categories (a) those taking up the private car allowance (b) those unable to manage-to continue driving their tricycles, (c) those to receive mobility allowance and (d) others.

Mr. Alfred Morris

The available information is being assembled and will be circulated in theOfficial Report.

Mr. Hannam

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the projected forecasts, including mobility allowance, of the cost of the vehicle service for disabled people for each financial year: 1976–77, 1977–78 and 1978–79.

Mr. Alfred Morris

Projected expenditure at 1976 survey prices will not be available until the public expenditure White Paper is published early in 1977. The forecast costs for England of the vehicle service for disabled people and mobility allowance included in the last White Paper (Cmnd. 6393) were:

£ million
1976–77 20.2
1977–78 23.4
1978–79 25.5

Mr. Hannam

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the cost of the vehicle service for disabled people for each financial year since 1948: (a) as a percentage of GNP for that year, (b) as a percentage of total NHS expenditure for that year and (c) in terms of £1 sterling at 1948 value.

Mr. Alfred Morris

Figures for England relating to the cost of the vehicle service for disabled people for the financial years from 1963–64 to 1975–76 are as follows:

(a) (b) (c)
percentage of GNP percentage of NHS in terms of £ sterling at 1948 value (£ million)
£
1963–64 0.015 0.37 1.9
1964–65 0.016 0.39 2.1
1965–66 0.021 0.47 2.7
1966–67 0.021 0.48 2.8
1967–68 0.023 0.50 3.1
1968–69 0.023 0.46 3.0
1969–70 0.018 0.41 2.8
1970–71 0.019 0.40 3.0
1971–72 0.024 0.45 3.5
1972–73 0.024 0.48 3.9
1973–74 0.024 0.51 4.4
1974–75 0.021 0.41 4.2
1975–76* 0.022 0.39 4.5
* Provisional.

Records for the earlier years are no longer available.