asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will introduce amending legislation during the present Session of Parliament to enable registered blind persons to receive the mobility allowance.
Eligibility for mobility allowance is linked to inability, or virtual inability, to walk and not to particular diagnostic groups. Blind persons who cannot walk, or who cannot walk very far because of physical disablement, are eligible for the allowance on the same terms as other disabled people.The cost of widening the scope of the mobility allowance scheme to include blind and other people who can walk but have other problems in getting about out of doors would be greater than we can contemplate at present. Further progress in extending outdoor mobility help for the disabled, as in all other fields of public expenditure, is dependent upon our priorities and on the availability of resources.