§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has received the results of the recent research into mobility allowance carried out by his 697W Department; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisA study of 540 adults receiving mobility allowance was carried out by my Department in the second half of 1977. A parallel study of children aged 5 to 15 has been conducted by the social policy research unit at the University of York.
Full reports on both studies are expected at the end of the year. At present, no information is available on the children's study but preliminary results of the study of adults suggest that the mobility allowance scheme is working well. The main points to emerge from these results are as follows:
Respondents were asked whether they would prefer a cash allowance or more money to be spent on transport services for the disabled: 93 per cent. preferred a cash allowance.Of 338 people who said they kept at least part of the allowance separate from the rest of their money, 85 per cent. claimed they spent it mainly or only on goods or services directly connected with mobility.Forty per cent. of the 207 respondents who attended clubs or societies stated that having the allowance made a difference to their going to fuctions and to how they got to them.Seventy-eight per cent. of respondents said that the allowance had made a difference to their ability to go out.