MOBILITY ALLOWANCE AND THE DISABLED BLIND

That this House congratulates Mr John Duff, of Motherwell, on the precedent set by him winning his appeal for a mobility allowance; notes that not only is Mr Duff blind but he is also so disabled by a degenerative spinal condition as to be unable to use mobility aids such as a long cane or guide dog; notes that it took four and a half years for him to win his appeal; calls upon the Benefits Agency to compensate Mr Duff for the avoidable delays and errors in handling his case identified in the highly critical report from the Ombudsman; and calls upon the Government to change the rules so that the blind who are too disabled to use mobility aids should, like the deaf-blind, be automatically eligible for mobility allowance.