§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many disabled persons on supplementary benefit received during the last 12 months (a) exceptional needs payments and (b) exceptional circumstances additions for extra heating, laundry, or special diets.
§ Mr. RossiI regret that the information requested is not available, because there is no generally accepted definition of "disabled persons". However, in one of the categories of supplementary benefit cited by the hon. Member there is an automatic fall-back power to provide a higher rate heating addition where no higher heating addition is payable on other grounds. This provision applies to those severely disabled beneficiaries who also receive mobility allowance, attendance allowance or constant attendance 161W allowance. In December 1980, the latest date for which information is available, about 37,000 heating additions were in payment to this group.
§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many holidays were provided for disabled people in Derbyshire in 1979, 1980 and to the latest available date in 1981.
§ Mr. RossiThe number of cases in which Derbyshire county council provided assistance with holidays for elderly and disabled people in each of the relevant years was as follows:
Year ending Holidays 31 March 1979 1,376 31 March 1980 1,389 31 March 1981 1,177
England and Wales (thousands) Year (mid-year to mid-year 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 Number reaching retirement age Men 207 184 186 282 265 Women 313 294 285 281 277 Total 520 478 471 563 542