§ Mr. Ovendenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider increasing the level of mobility car allowance for those disabled people who cannot use small cars so that their allowance is sufficient to lease the size of car which is necessary for them.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisMobility allowance is available to people who do not have the use of cars as well as to those who do. Recipients of the allowance can, if they wish, use it to lease a car from the 'new independent voluntary organisation Motability, which offers a choice of cars to meet individual needs at varying additional costs. These naturally rise as models become larger and more powerful. I understand that Motability may be prepared to consider affording additional financial assistance in cases of special difficulty. It would be invidious, however, to attempt to differentiate between one beneficiary and another in the rate of Mobility allowance itself when the common test of eligibility is simply that of inability or virtual inability to walk.