DISCRIMINATION IN DISABILITY BENEFITS

Early day motion 953, tabled 31 March 2004 by Roger Berry (Labour). Signed by 243 members.

That this House believes that it is injust and discriminatory to deny people who become disabled from the age of 65 the opportunity to claim disability living allowance; further believes that the alternative benefit offered to older disabled people, attendance allowance, is inadequate because it does not contain a mobility component, is not available to those with lower-level needs and requires a claimant to wait three months longer before making a claim; notes further that attendance allowance does not passport its recipients to the Motability scheme, or exemption from vehicle exise duty; further believes that this differentiation between older and younger disabled people is based on an outmoded and unfounded conception of older people as inactive and non-contributing members of society; and therefore urges the Government to support the aims of the Mobilise campaign, to end age discrimination in disability benefit and make a genuine commitment to active ageing and the full participatory citizenship of older people.

Signatures by party: Labour 139, Liberal Democrat 42, Conservative 29, Labour/Co-operative 10, DUP 5, UUP 5, Plaid Cymru 4, Scottish National Party 4, Independent 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Independent Conservative 1.