§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women and men, respectively, aged 60 years and over are in receipt of mobility allowance; if he will take action specifically to publicise the entitlement of women aged 60 to 65 years to the allowance; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RossiThe information is as follows:
People Aged 60 and over in Receipt of Mobility Allowance on 31 December 1981 Women Men 25,800 39,900 These figures include 3,300 women and 10,200 men who have switched to mobility allowance from the former invalid vehicle scheme. There are special arrangements for former beneficiaries of that scheme that enable them to change to mobility allowance at any age.
When the present Government brought the 61–64 age group into entitlement in November 1979, there was extensive publicity in press advertisements and through voluntary organisations. Leaflets and posters continue to make it clear that the upper age limit for eligibility is 65 for both sexes. I am always concerned that the existence of benefits for disabled people such as mobility allowance should be as widely known as possible, but I have no plans for special publicity aimed at women between 60 and 65.