§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of new electrically powered wheelchairs supplied by the national health service in Scotland over the past five years. [40260]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonInformation on the overall number of powered chairs issued in the last five years is not held centrally. Details of the number of indoor/outdoor powered chairs and indoor powered chairs purchased since the provision of special funding in 1992 are set out.
1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 Indoor/Outdoor 313 267 286 193 Indoor 497 409 187 1 For six months 1 April 1995 to 30 September 1995.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will review the current criteria for eligibility for electrically powered wheelchairs to be provided by the national health service; [40259]
(2) if he will relax the criteria to enable more national health service patients to qualify for electrically powered wheelchairs in Scotland in future. [40262]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe criteria to determine eligibility for the provision of electrically powered wheelchairs were established in September 1992 in consultation with the clinicians in the artificial limb and appliance centres. Following a review after practical experience of the arrangements, it was decided that these criteria had been too tightly drawn, and they were revised to embrace a wider range of patients. The revised criteria were agreed by all centres in 1994. In view of this recent revision, there are no plans for a further review at present.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of supplying electrically powered wheelchairs by the national health service in Scotland over the past five years; and what plans he has to provide finance for the next three-year period. [40261]
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§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe provision of patient-controlled electrically powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs was announced in February 1992. Initial funding of £2.5 million was earmarked over the following three years to provide around 1,300 electrically powered wheelchairs for use both indoors and outdoors by severely disabled people. The level of funding to be provided in future years is still to be determined.