§ Mr. Harrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give statistics on the total number of wheelchair users in the United Kingdom and a breakdown into age groups, male and female, and broad categories of ailments.
§ Mr. NewtonThe figures requested are not at present available, but it is estimated that about 420,000 people use?
One-parent families Two-parent families Number Average weekly payment Average time Number Average weekly payment Average time (thousands) £ (months) (thousands) £ (months) 1979 322 30.57 39.6 166 35.46 20.3 1980 336 38.05 n/a 245 39.21 n/a 1981 392 43.57 39.5 402 48.31 15.6 1982 441 39.24 38.1 488 46.26 17.0 1983* 475 36.88 30.7 500 46.41 19.2 * Provisional n/a=Not available. Note: the fall in the amount of the average weekly payment after 1981 is due to the introduction of housing benefits.
Source: annual statistical inquiries.
§ Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest available figures for the number of (a) female lone parents and (b) male lone parents in receipt of supplementary benefit who are (i)
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(a) Female lone parents (b) Male lone parents Number Number of children Average weekly payment Number Number of children Average weekly payment (thousands) (thousands) (thousands) £ (thousands) (thousands) £ i. single 144 188 33.99 15 23 39.74 ii. widowed 7 12 26.57 iii. divorced 147 265 39.18 wheelchairs provided by the Health Departments and that some 80 per cent. are over 60 years of age. Information about the number and characteristics of wheelchair users will be collected in a survey of disabled people being conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.