SIR,

As a member of the Federation of the Blind I have to report that the government announced last month its intention to make changes to the Disabled Living Allowance regulations, which are expected to save in the region of £35 million a year.

Now since the government regards these changes as merely clarifying existing law it is making them through amendments to the regulations rather than through primary legislation, which means that parliament, then in recess for Christmas and New Year, was not able to debate or comment on them. This suggests that the government did not wish public attention to be drawn to what they are doing.

The changes relate to the lower rate of the mobility component of DLA which is paid to people who, while physically able to walk, are unable to do so outdoors in unfamiliar places unless they are accompanied. People would no longer be eligible for this payment if their claim was based on fear or anxiety, unless these were a system of severe mental disability.

New claimants will, of course, be affected as soon as the new regulations come into force, probably in the Autumn, but existing recipients of the benefit should not be affected until their claims come up for renewal. Though it has to be remembered that a change in the law counts as a change of circumstances and therefore we cannot be absolutely certain about this.

Clearly blind and partially-sighted people are among those who stand to be affected and this is disturbing, since we think there is a good case for blind people to be eligible for the higher mobility component, because they are more likely to incur taxi expenses than some physically disabled people who are capable of driving a car.

We suggest that all blind and partially sighted people, or their relatives should write to their MP because this issue is not receiving wide coverage in the media.

Frank Parkinson,

Birch Street,

Tyldesley.