§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why mobility allowance is not payable to severly disabled pensioners over the age of 65 years.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisWe have made it clear from the outset that the major advance in outdoor mobility help represented by the mobility allowance could only be achieved, at a time of considerable economic difficulty, if we were prepared to do less than we would ideally have liked to do. The general limitation of the allowance to people below pension age reflects the very substantial extra cost—about £125 million—covering retirement pensioners.