asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will provide a mobility component to the attendance allowance for those aged 65 and over who did not apply for, or were not qualified to receive, disability living allowance before the age of 65. [HL5405]

We have no plans to provide a mobility component along these lines. It is normal for pensions and benefits schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives. Disability living allowance is intended to focus additional help with the extra costs of disability on people who have the very considerable disadvantage of being severely disabled early, or relatively early, in life and who, in consequence, face limited opportunities to work, earn and save compared with non-disabled people.

Attendance allowance provides help with the disability-related extra costs of people who experience the onset of disability after age 65. Based on the need for personal care, this help is part of the wide range of support that the Government make available to older people so that they can have a decent and secure income in retirement.