§ 16. Sir Geoffrey Johnson SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many disabled people and their carers have benefited from the Government's reforms made in the current year.
§ Mr. ScottMore than half a million disabled people and carers have benefited this year from the Government's reforms to disability benefits. Our proposals for improving disability benefits will add some £300 million to spending on disabled people by 1993–94 and will give extra help to an estimated 850,000 people. Spending on disabled people has increased in real terms by more than £4 billion since 1978–79 to a total of £8.3 billion in 1989–90.
§ 22. Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many disabled people are paying back social fund loans; how many are paying back with deductions from other benefits; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottAs at 31 October 1990, 26,800 people with an income support disability premium were repaying social fund loans. Most of these will have been repaying by deduction from their benefit. A small number may have been repaying by other methods but a precise figure is not available. Since April 1990, 35,000 community care grants have been awarded to people with a disability premium. In 6,600 of these cases a grant was awarded where the application was for a budgeting loan.