Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Severe Disability Premium – 13 January 1987

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Severe Disability Premium on 13th January 1987.

Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if, pursuant to the reply to the right hon. Member for Wythenshawe on 18 December, Official Report, column 705, a person will be eligible for the severe disability premium if he uses that premium to meet the expenses of a volunteer living with him who is not under the auspices of a voluntary organisation;
(2) if, pursuant to the reply to the right hon. Member for Wythenshawe on 18 December, Official Report, Column 705, he will state what information he has on the range of charges currently being made by voluntary organisations providing volunteers to live with severely disabled people;
(3) if, pursuant to the reply to the right hon. Member for Wythenshawe on 18 December, Official Report, column 705, he will state what is the number of the estimated 7,000 recipients of the severe disability premium who will be in receipt of the higher rate of attendance allowance;
(4) if, pursuant to the reply to the right hon. Member for Wythenshawe on 18 December, Official Report, column 705, a person will be eligible for the severe disability premium if he uses that premium to pay for a person to live with him in order to provide the assistance he requires;

Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) why he has decided to offer the severe disability premium only to disabled people who live alone and are in receipt of attendance allowance but who are not cared for by a person claiming invalid care allowance;
(2) on what basis it has been decided that disabled people who are cared for by someone in receipt of invalid care allowance should not qualify for the severe disability premium; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major I shall let the right hon. members have replies as soon as possible.