New Clause 2
Welfare Reform Bill
12:15 pm
Mark Harper (Shadow Minister, Work & Pensions; Forest of Dean, Conservative)
I simply want to flesh out what the hon. Member for Glasgow, North-West said about the definitions. He referred to the phrase, “no useful sight for orientation purposes”, which the RNIB used. For the benefit of the Committee, in a written answer, the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford, said that
“during helpful discussions with the RNIB they have suggested that...no useful sight for orientation purposes...could be interpreted as meaning that a visually impaired person would have: no perception of light; perception of light only; perception of hand movement; or...‘total’ or ‘extensive’ loss of visual field. Using these definitions of visual impairment we estimate that, if implemented in 2010-11, we would require additional annual benefit expenditure of around £45 million to extend the higher rate”.—[Official Report, 23 February 2009; Vol. 488, c. 57W.]
I await the Minister’s response.