HC Deb 05 July 1976 vol 914 cc436-8W
Mr. Penhaligon

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many disabled persons had their invalid tricycles withdrawn since the beginning of the year; and on what grounds the withdrawals were made;

(2) how many persons applied for an invalid tricycle since the beginning of the year; how many applications were turned down; and on what grounds the applications were refused.

Mr. Alfred Morris

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

Mr. Marten

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will list the injury accident rate per million miles for invalid tricycles with manual gearbox, automatic transmission and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, in the United Kingdom for the year ended 31st March 1976;

(2) whether he will publish in the Official Report the full incidence of all drivers injured in accidents involving invalid tricycles with manual gearbox, automatic transmission, electrically propelled models and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the whole of the United Kingdom, for the year ended 31st March 1976, under each appropriate model type;

(3) whether he will list in the Official Report the full accident statistics relating to invalid tricycles with manual gearbox, automatic transmission, electrically propelled models and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the whole of the United Kingdom for the year ended 31st March 1976, listing the full information under the categories as supplied by his department for publication in Motor magazine on 14th August 1974;

(4) whether he will list the total number of injury accidents per 1,000 disabled drivers and the accident involvement rate resulting in injury to drivers per 100 million miles, for the whole of the United Kingdom, for invalid tricycles with manual gearbox, automatic transmission and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the year ended 31st March 1976.

Mr. Alfred Morris

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

Mr. Lomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the Model 70 Tricycle, detailing the number of disabled drivers from whom he has received complaints, and the number of accidents involved with this vehicle.

Mr. Alfred Morris

No record is kept of the number of letters received about the Model 70 by way of complaint or otherwise. Accident statistics were given in my replies to my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Mr. Lewis) on 29th October, 1975, and on 20th May 1976—[Vol. 898, c.522–6; Vol. 911, c. 713–4.]

Mr. Kenneth Lomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in view of the concern which is felt in Parliament that his Department may introduce a vehicle for the disabled which has access and egress for the disabled driver only at the rear of the vehicle; if his Department have examined the possibilities of hazards for disabled people in driving such a vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alfred Morris

I can assure my hon. Friend that we have no plans to introduce any such vehicle for the disabled.

Miss Maynard

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he start the phasing-out of invalid tricycles as soon as current contracts allow.

Mr. Alfred Morris

As my hon. Friend will appreciate, our new mobility allowance is now the main mobility benefit for disabled people, with the invalid tricycle as an alternative for those who want and can drive it. There is nothing I can add on this to the joint policy statement issued by the Secretaries of State for the Health Departments on 13th September 1974, a copy of which is in the Library.