In common with those suffering from disabilities generally, I am conscious of the problems faced on a day-to-day basis by deaf people. With that in mind, this year's Social Welfare Bill marks a major step forward in our provision for people with disabilities. The Bill provides for the introduction of a new disability allowance which will be administered by my Department as a replacement for the disabled person's maintenance allowance currently payable by the health boards. This new allowance will complement the existing schemes of disability benefit, invalidity pension and occupational injuries benefit schemes currently administered by my Department.
I understand that the disability living allowance payable in the UK is designed to provide assistance to people with the extra costs arising from their personal care and mobility needs. The allowance has two components; a personal care allowance which has three rates of payment depending on the degree of care required and a mobility allowance which is payable at two rates depending on the degree of disability.
I have no plans to introduce a similar scheme under the social welfare system. The health boards administer a range of schemes and services for people with disabilities, such as the domiciliary care allowance and the mobility allowance, and these are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Health.
