Wed, 09/12/2009 - 3:15pm
Andrew Lansley, Conservative Shadow Health Secretary, opened an Opposition day debate on disability benefits for the elderly.
- Video and Audio: Debate on disability benefits for the elderly
- Commons Hansard: Disability benefits for the elderly
- About Parliament: Debates
- Topical issues: Sickness, disability and carers' benefits
The Opposition motion was lost by 233 votes to 297.
These types of debates are held on what are known as Opposition days which are allocated in the Commons during each parliamentary session to discuss subjects chosen by the opposition parties. Twenty days per session are set aside for these and the opposition parties usually raise questions of policy and administration. They are listed online in the Parliamentary Calendar.
http://news.parliament.uk/2009/12/commons-debate-on-disability-benefits-for-the-elderly/
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Stephen O'Brien (Shadow Minister, Health; Eddisbury, Conservative)
What plans the Government have for the future of disability living allowance and attendance allowance.
Jonathan R Shaw (Minister of State (Disabled People), Regional Affairs; Chatham & Aylesford, Labour)
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Harwich (Mr. Carswell) and for Southend, West (Mr. Amess)
Stephen O'Brien (Shadow Minister, Health; Eddisbury, Conservative)
The Minister did, indeed, reply to Question 4, and his response centred on the rising elderly population and on the escalating costs. He rested his case on false accusations of scaremongering, but I have with me a number of letters from real people, showing the vulnerability that they feel in the light of the threatened withdrawal of attendance allowance and disability living allowance. Why do the Government so blatantly discriminate against the over-65s on disability living allowance?
Jonathan R Shaw (Minister of State (Disabled People), Regional Affairs; Chatham & Aylesford, Labour)
The arrangements for disability living allowance have been in place for many years, and they precede this Government's entry into office, as I am sure the hon. Gentleman is aware, and as I am sure he will tell the people who have written to him. We need to set out a new care system. People want a system that ends the postcode lottery: they want a system whereby, if they move from one town to another, they do not have to battle to receive such services. In my earlier reply, I said that an existent pensioner claimant who is in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance will get the same cash total under the new system. In order to reassure the people who have written to him, I hope that the hon. Gentleman will tell them that, and not repeat the scaremongering that we have heard from those on the Opposition Front Benches.