§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what date he plans to publish the fourth report from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on disability.
§ Mr. Scott[holding answer 7 June 1989]: The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys has today published the fourth report on the findings of the surveys of disability in Great Britain carried out between 1985 and 1988. The report covers all the remaining aspects of circumstances of disabled adults which were not included in reports I and 2, which were published last year. It provides information on a wide range of topics, including the use of services; equipment and adaptations; mobility and transport; employment; social and leisure activities; and, for those in private households, the informal help and care received. For those in communal establishments, some aspects of residents' finances are described.
The large quantity of detailed and complex information contained in the report has been provided by disabled people themselves or their carers. It therefore reflects their own perception of their activities and experiences, including the type of services they receive and the disability equipment they use.
Taken together, the OPCS reports will provide the most comprehensive and detailed information ever collected about the circumstances of disabled people in this country.
We welcome comments on this report, as we have on the three already published.