To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with the Royal National Institute for the Blind on whether severe sight loss should be included as criteria for qualifying for the higher-rate mobility component of the disability living allowance. (177057)

I have met with representatives of RNIB on 11 September 2006 and again on 4 December 2007. Officials from the Department met and corresponded with representatives of RNIB on a number of occasions in 2007, most recently on 13 December 2007.