§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many disabled people have been deprived of independent mobility since the introduction of the mobility allowance; and what is his estimate of the projected likely costs to local authority social services departments as a result of this lack of mobility.
105W
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisAt the latest date for which figures are available, there were about 34,000 beneficiaries of the mobility allowance. There has thus been a substantial increase in the number of handicapped people enjoying enhanced mobility since the introduction of this new allowance.
As the lion. Gentleman will know, the mobility allowance extends outdoor mobility help, for the first time ever, to many of the most severly handicapped people in the country. Help is now based on mobility handicap and not, as it was illogically in the past, on the ability and wish to drive. We expect that up to 100,000 extra handicapped people will benefit from the new allowance. Moreover, no one who was receiving a benefit has lost that benefit as a consequence of the introduction of mobility allowance. Given the greater number we are able to help, we do not envisage any extra cost falling on local authority social services departments. On the contrary, it can be very strongly argued that the trebling of public expenditure on mobility for the disabled should ease some of the problems of local authorities in this important field.