§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many of the dossiers examined by the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board since 1992 relate to people with a hearing impairment; [36224]
277W(2) how many studies commissioned for the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board related to the needs of severely and profoundly deaf people; and how many recommendations from these reports have been implemented by her Department; [36225]
(3) how many members of the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board are (a) deaf and (b) have a professional specialism in deafness. [36226]
§ Mr. DenhamSince 1992, the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board has examined over 5,000 cases covering a wide range of disabilities. No statistics are kept detailing the number of cases examined where hearing impairment was a disability.
To date, the Board has not undertaken any studies specifically related to the needs of severely and profoundly deaf people, although it has been commissioned to undertake a study on deafness in children and young adults. Work will start later this year.
A previous member of the Board had expertise in this area; at present, there are no members of the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board who are deaf and have a professional specialism in deafness. The Board will be running a recruitment exercise later this year to appoint a member with direct experience of deafness.