§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of the criteria used to assess applications from disabled people requir- 168W ing assistance under the Fares to Work Scheme; and whether he has any plans to alter these criteria.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the criteria are that the applicant must be:
- (1) registered under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944;
- (2) employed under special conditions in ordinary employment, and
- (3) unable to use public transport because of disability or because there is none.
The amount of grant is calculated having regard to a number of factors affecting income and expenditure, including reference to a scale of "notional subsistence" allowances, which is based upon Government training allowances, and takes account of the number of dependants. Payment is of the amount by which the applicant's income falls short of the sum arrived at by adding together the scale allowance, half the sum by which the income exceeds that allowance, the cost of travel, and the cost of other items—for example, the cost of a special diet or clothing. In all cases, the applicant pays a minimum of £1. The criteria are being examined as part of a general review of the scheme which is currently taking place.
§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled people were refused help under the Fares to Work Scheme since 1st January 1976; and on what grounds their applications have been refused.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that, out of 222 applications received by the Employment Service Agency since 1st January 1976, 82 were refused, 80 because the applicants did not qualify for any payment under the formula used for calculating allowances, one because he was able to use public transport, and one because he was not employed under special conditions.
§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of the amount his Department has budgeted for the year 1977–78 compared with the previous five years, to finance the Fares to Work Scheme for disabled people.
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§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the amount budgeted for the year 1977–78 is £144,000, compared with £83,000 for the year 1976–77, and with actual expenditure for previous years as follows:
1975–76=£64,735 1974–75=£49,905 1973–74=£31,989 1972–73=£26,329 The increase between the current year and 1977–78 is mainly to meet an anticipated increase in expenditure on the
Numbers unemployed in Great Britain Duration in weeks Male Females Total Up to 5 … … … … … 206,059 91,627 297,686 Over 5 and up to 13 … … … … … 187,160 83,413 270,573 Over 13 … … … … … 578,940 173,724 752,664 Total … … … … … 972,159 348,764 1,320,923 Because of industrial action by some staff in the Department of Employment Group, the information for October is in less detail than usual and there is no information for later dates. More detailed information for earlier dates has been published regularly in the Department of Employment Gazette.