DISABLED PERSONS (Hansard, 24 January 1977)

§ Mr. Alfred Morris

I have been asked to reply.

The following is a list of the decisions and actions taken by the present Government since March 1974, to improve the welfare and status of disabled people:

Non-contributory invalidity pension (NCIP) for men and single women.
Invalid care allowance for men and single women.
Personal allowances for long-stay patients in mental hospitals.
Mobility allowance for some 100,000 new beneficiaries: disabled children and adults (married and single).
Housewives' non-contributory invalidity pension for married women now legislated for.
Benefit upratings costing, in terms of benefits specifically for disabled people, some £550 million.
New contributory retirement pension scheme, including "Home Responsibility Membership", earnings-related invalidity pension and improvements in the invalidity allowance arrangements.
Raising of the therapeutic earnings limit for invalidity pensioners and non-contributory invalidity pensioners, and for the recipients of unemployability supplement.
Coal industry pneumoconiosis compensation scheme introduced.
Decision to give right of appeal on diagnosis of pneumoconiosis.
Industrial disablement benefit for victims of byssinosis, extended to new categories.
Viral Hepatitis prescribed as an industrial disease.
Industrial injury provisions for occupational deafness extended and under review.
Extension of war pensions visiting scheme.
Study of the problems faced by disabled people in relation to membership of occupational pension schemes.
Further £5.5 million grant to Rowntree Trust Family Fund and promise of further £4 million over next two years.
Extension of terms of reference of Rowntree Trust Family Fund to include all severely disabled children.
DHSS to assume financial responsibility for research team supporting work of Rowntree Trust Family Fund.
Financial support for Thalidomide children.
Better co-ordination between Government Departments.
Wide-ranging and detailed consultations on implementation of Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970: its mandatory nature made clear in Ministerial statements.
Closer liaison with voluntary bodies.
Wide-ranging Seminar on Disablement held at Sunningdale in February 1976.
DHSS/Post Office Liaison Committee on problems of the disabled.
Research Liaison Group—to look at research needs in the field.
Remedial professions—improved status.
Zero-rating of VAT on aids and appliances for the disabled and also on medical equipment for donation to hospitals for the purpose of treatment or research.
DHSS assumed financial responsibility for "Equipment for the disabled" from the National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases, with effect from 1st October 1974.
Study of personal hygiene and eating aids at Loughborough.
Development of a swivel walking device for spina bifida patients and the possibility of application to other persons with lower limb paralysis.
New electronic aids to the disabled available on prescription.
Assessment of aids and equipment for physically handicapped people at rehabilitation demonstration centres.
Stairlift and personal passenger vertical lifts for the disabled study.
Development of a chemical closet for home use.
Funding of special units at selected hospitals to work specifically on aids and equipment.
Continuing progress by Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work in formulating training arrangements in relation to disabled people.
Extension of orange badge parking scheme to cover the blind.
Further parking concessions for all orange badge holders.
Traffic signs: two distinctive signs for disabled people being prescribed, and supplementary signs exempting disabled people from vehicular traffic prohibitions may now be used.
Public transport—special arrangements by British Rail for disabled travellers.
London Transport review of travelling problems faced by the disabled. New bus design to be tested.
Disabled people now automatically entitled to priority in taking driving tests.
Publicity and encouragement for improved facilities for disabled drivers at motorway service areas (including signing them on the motorway itself).
Petrol allowance restored (and doubled) for drivers of government-supplied invalid vehicles.
Improved reserved rights for vehicle scheme and private car allowance recipients.
Easement of car hire purchase restrictions for certain disabled people.
Awards for best buildings for disabled people.
Pressure on public and other institutions to improve access and services for disabled people—for example, special low counters for wheelchair users.
Improvement of facilities for disabled people in the National Theatre.
New Government circular to local authorities about admission of guide dogs accompanying blind people to premises selling food, etc.
Home Office circular on access to polling stations.
Government's White Paper on Sport and Recreation of 1975 specially mentioned the needs of the disabled.
Standards for ramps for wheelchair users and others.
Strong new guidance on housing needs.
Consultative paper on adaptations to housing.
Warnock Committee on education of handicapped children and young people in session and expected to report in 1978.
Introduction of discretionary allowance of up to £140 to disabled students whose disability leads to additional expenses in connection with their studies.
Government Grant for National Bureau for Handicapped Students.
Guidance on the discovery of children requiring special education and the assessment of their needs.
Decisions on the future of the employment quota scheme, sheltered employment for disabled people and related matters.
Study of the problems of disabled workers and consultation with outside experts.
Major developments and an increased budget in the Employment Service Agency for work in hospitals.
Increase in allowances paid to young people going on employment rehabilitation courses.
Building work started on new large employment rehabilitation centre at Preston and planning started for re-building of the pioneer Employment Rehabilitation Centre at Egham.
Plans being implemented to establish an employment rehabilitation research centre.
Residential Training Colleges Working Group set up to discuss, among other things, changes in courses of vocational training at RTC's for the disabled.
Introduction of literacy/numeracy training at one RTC.
More involvement by Training Sources Agency in the provision of capital sums for the development of residential training for disabled people by voluntary organisations.
Increase in the number of senior disablement resettlement officers at special training national centre.
New NHS optical arrangements.
Appointment of additional blind persons' training officers.
Increase in blind person's tax allowance.
Advisory committees on hearing impairment.
New Institute of Hearing Research.
Introduction of the behind-the-ear hearing aid to benefit an estimated one million people with hearing impairments.
Special hearing aids for children and young people.
Development of audiology services.
Hospital ear, nose and throat services— design guide.
Audiological medicine—a new speciality.
Grants to voluntary organisations for the hearing impaired.
A National Development Group for the Mentally Handicapped has been set up together with a development team.
Jay Committee on Nursing and care of the Mentally Handicapped.
United Kingdom Co-Sponsorship of "UN Declaration on the Rights of Handicapped People". This sets out the basic rights of disabled people to appropriate treatment and care.
More financial support for voluntary bodies.
Issue of new edition of "Help for Handicapped People".
This list shows that notwithstanding all the economic difficulties we have faced, the present Government have given a high priority to the 475 claims of disabled people. The list is not exhaustive and there is still much more to do. Our consideration of further new help for disabled people is an on-going process in everyone of the Government Departments concerned.