§ Mr. McMahonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he plans any new initiatives to assist the disabled.
§ Mr. RossiWe will continue to seek such improvements in services and benefits for disabled people as the strength of the economy allows, but this will obviously determine the scope for new initiatives in addition to measures already being pursued by the Department.
These include increate in the mobility allowance, which by November of this year will have increased by 83 per cent. to £18.30, since May 1979. Also in November, the earnings limit for the invalid care allowance will be doubled to £12; the "theraputic" earnings limit for those receiving incapacity benefit will go up from £16.50 to £20; supplementary benefit heating additions will be increased to their highest ever real value.
We are also pursuing the "Care in the Community" proposals aimed at getting people who have no need of hospital care out of hospital and into the community; and the £1 million initiative to match £1 for £1 money raised by voluntary bodies for projects to get children out of large mental handicap hospitals.
The Government's wider plans for development of services to assist the disabled are described in the booklet "IYDP and After—the UK Response", which was published in July.