§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of disabled people who would newly qualify for the mobility allowance if the upper age limit for applications were to be abolished.
§ Mr. Prentice[pursuant to his reply 18 March, c. 147–48]: About half a million. At £12 per week, extending mobility allowance to this group, would cost about £300 million a year.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many more disabled children would be likely to qualify for the mobility allowance if the lower age limit were to be reduced from five to two years of age.
§ Mr. Prentice[pursuant to his reply 18 March 1980, c. 147–48]: If the age limit for the allowance were dropped to two years, it is estimated that some 4,500 additional children would qualify at any given time.