§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many people are registered as epileptics in the United Kingdom;
(2) how many epileptic sufferers, in varying degrees, there are in the United Kingdom;
(3) if sufferers from epilepsy are covered by the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act;
(4) what efforts are being made by his Department to assist school leavers who may have suffered from epilepsy;
(5) whether any cash benefits are available for chronic sufferers from epilepsy; and, if so, from what source;
(6) if sufferers from epilepsy are given a card free of charge by their general practitioners or whether a payment has to be made;
283W(7) if he will take steps to ensure that every sufferer from epilepsy is given a card showing the fact free of charge.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisI accept the estimate made in the report "People with Epilepsy" published by my Department in 1969 that in England and Wales there may be up to 300,000 sufferers from epilepsy. Information is not available to enable us to classify this population by degree of severity. Nor are the numbers of people with epilepsy separately identified in the returns from local authorities under Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948, but everyone who comes within the ambit of Section 29 is eligible for help under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act.
The decision whether to issue a card to a patient with epilepsy giving information about the diagnosis is one for the individual general practitioner or hospital consultant. I am not aware that any charge is made in these cases and I see no reason to give any general guidance. I am informed that the British Epilepsy Association also issues cards free on request.
The further education, vocational training and employment of disabled school leavers, including those with epilepsy, are the direct responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Science and Employment, with those Departments I am in regular discussion about all problems facing disabled young people. There is a problem of co-ordination between the various agencies concerned and the establishment of satisfactory mechanisms at local level. I am hopeful that the conclusions of the Wornock Committee, of a seminar on the disabled worker to be held on 21st May, and of current research into services for people with epilepsy which my Department is financing, will help us in tackling what is an extremely complex problem.
As regards cash benefits, people with epilepsy are covered by the general arrangements of the social security schemes. Thus sufferers who are incapacitated for work have the same entitlement to sickness benefit, invalidity benefit or non-contributory invalidity pension and to supplementary benefits as those who suffer from other illnesses.
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