§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend his travel-to-work scheme for the disabled to those who will otherwise find it more expensive to continue working than to be totally dependent on benefit.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the fares to work scheme is currently under review. The point raised by the hon. Member will be borne in mind in this review, although some people in the category mentioned benefit from the present scheme.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend the information about the travel-to-work scheme for the disabled to those registered disabled persons who cannot drive and for whom the mobility allowance (a) cannot be paid or (b) will not cover their costs of travelling to work.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the fares to work scheme for disabled people does not discriminate between car drivers and non-drivers; but is designed to assist certain registered disabled persons whether or not they are in receipt of mobility allowance. The Employment Service Agency has recently issued a leaflet specifically about the scheme to publicise it more widely. I will make a copy of this leaflet available to the hon. Member. Disablement resettlement officers bring the scheme to the notice of those disabled people likely to benefit when employment prospects are being discussed.
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§ Mr. Stan Crowtherasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled people are registered as unemployed in the area of the Rotherham employment office.
§ Mr. John Grant, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th April 1977; Vol. 929, c. 384], gave the following information:
I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that on 10th March, the latest date on which information is available, 163 registered disabled people were unemployed in the Rotherham employment office area.