3/7/07

QUESTION TO MINISTER ABOUT HIGHER MOBILITY ALLOWANCE FOR BLIND

During Questions in the House of Commons on Monday 2nd July, John Butterfill raised the question of the need for the higher rate of mobility allowance for the blind.

John has been supporting the Royal National Institute for the Blind by tabling an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to allow blind people to claim the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.  Under current legislation, most blind and partially sighted people only get the lower rate of both the care and mobility components of DLA.  However, John believes that blindness should be regarded as an impairment that has a severe impact on a person’s independent mobility, leading to the blind having to travel by taxi and private hire vehicle.

In his Question to the Minister, John asked if she would re-examine the anomalous treatment of those who are physically disabled and perhaps in wheelchairs as compared to those who are totally blind or severely visually impaired.  He pointed out that more than half the back benchers in the House of Commons had signed his Early Day Motion on the subject.

The Minister, Anne McGuire, told John that she was currently having discussions with the RNIB to consider these issues and to decide whether it would be possible to develop criteria that met some of the RNIB’s demands in relation to people who are totally blind.  John does, however, remain very concerned that even if the Government are prepared to grant the higher rate mobility allowance to the blind, it will not do so for the partially blind and he is therefore continuing to press the Government on this matter.