§ 22. Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will make it his policy in any future review of disability benefits to consult disability organisations.
§ Mr. ScottWe are always willing to take account of comments made by organisations of and for disabled people in considering changes to benefits. Our proposals for major changes in the balance and structure of disability benefits have been made in the light of the views and comments of many organisations. And we shall continue to take into account the views of interested organisations in the course of our detailed work on the proposals, in particular the new disability allowance and the disabled employment credit.
§ 47. Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a further statement on his proposals for disability benefits.
§ Mr. ScottWe have recently announced major proposals to improve social security help for people with disabilities. Our strategy is to improve the balance and structure of benefits for disabled people who are unable to work, in particular to do more for those disabled from birth or early in life, and to improve the help given to those disabled people who can and want to work. The changes we propose to make include a new disability allowance for 517W people of working age and below to extend help with the extra costs of being disabled; a new disability employment credit to make it easier for disabled people to take up jobs; and an increase of up to £10 a week in severe disablement allowance. Our proposals will give extra help to some 850,000 people and their net effect will be to add, by 1993–94, some £300 million to the £8.3 billion that is currently spent on benefits for long-term sick and disabled people and their carers.