HC Deb 05 November 1979 vol 973 cc49-50W
Mr. Alfred Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many disabled people are now in receipt of the mobility allowance; and how many people have newly received payment of the allowance since June.

Mr. Prentice

At 29 October 1979 there were just over 130,000 recipients of mobility allowance, 12,000 more than the number of beneficiaries at the end of June 1979.

Mr. Alfred Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the mobility allowance will be in payment to all eligible applicants from 5 to 65 years of age by 31 December.

Mr. Prentice

By the end of October the mobility allowance unit had on hand just under 40,000 claims, and every effort is being made to deal with them as quickly as possible. It is unlikely that every successful claim will be in payment by the end of this year. However, any arrears will be paid from the appropriate date.