§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many disabled people under pensionable age receive financial benefit from: (a) the industrial injuries scheme, (b) miners' pneumoconiosis scheme, (c) criminal injuries compensation scheme, (d) damages awarded as result of legal proceedings and (e) any other scheme which provides local help above that normally provided by the Government for disabled people.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisI regret that information is not available in the precise form requested by my hon. Friend. Such figures as are available concern mainly those people who are counted as disabled at a particular moment in time. They do not, therefore, necessarily relate to people with a continuing or permanent280W disablement. Nor for the most part do they distinguish between people over and under pensionable age.
The figures available are as follows:
- (a) At any one time, about 140,000 people under pensionable age are drawing an industrial disablement pension. During 1974–75, about 40,000 people under pensionable age were in receipt of industrial injury benefit at any one time.
- (b) I understand that some 60,000 lump sum payments have been made since the National Coal Board's Pneumoconiosis Compensation Scheme began in October, 1974, but that an age split is not available.
- (c) I understand that in the year ended 31st March 1975, about 10,000 people of all ages received compensation for personal injury under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
- (d) I understand that statistics are not kept of the total number of compensation settlements, but only of that minority of claims which are entered in the courts. During 1974, 1,523 plaintiffs were successful in actions for personal injuries in the High Court and 802 in the county court.
- (e) If my hon. Friend can let me know more specifically what he has in mind under this heading, I shall try to help him further.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the total number of disabled people below working age in the United Kingdom; and if he will estimate the proportion who do not rely solely on the general state provision available for the whole community.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisEstimates of the number of disabled children depend on the definition of disablement used. The number of severely physically or mentally handicapped children, whether living at home or in residential care, is estimated to be of the order of 100,000. Clearly, the very great majority of these children depend primarily on their parents for support, including financial support. In round terms, some 40,000 qualify for attendance allowance and some 30,000 may qualify for mobility allowance in due course. A substantial number of handicapped children will qualify for both allowances.