Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow individuals who claim Attendance Allowance to qualify for the Motability Scheme.

Qualifying benefits for the Motability Scheme are the enhanced rate mobility component Personal Independence Payment (enhanced rate mobility component Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), higher rate mobility component Disability Living Allowance (higher rate mobility component Child Disability Payment in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.

Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability Scheme vehicle. Government mobility support is focused on people who are disabled earlier in life; developing mobility needs in older life is a normal consequence of ageing, which non-disabled younger people have had opportunity to plan and save for.

There is no constraint on what an award of Attendance Allowance can be spent on, and a recipient may choose to use this benefit to fund mobility aids. Disabled people over the age of 65 can apply to their local authority for assessment under the Blue Badge Scheme, which helps people with severe mobility problems to park close to where they need to go. Assistance from other sources may be available and details can be found on the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) website.