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period under review was £304 19s. 2d. The Ministry of Labour
meets 75% of this expenditure under the approved arrangements
for capitation payments. The upper limit of capitation payments
was increased to £300 on 1st August, 1965.
Home Workers Scheme
70. The Home Workers Scheme is organised by the Home Industries
Department of the Royal National Institute for the Blind at
Reigate, Surrey. Blind home workers are employed in a variety
of occupations such as poultry-keepers, carpenters, basket, brush
and mat-makers, machine knitters and piano tuners. Supervision
of the home workers is carried out by visiting officers from the
Home Industries Department. Materials are supplied to the
workers and their goods collected for sale at the Reigate retail
shop. Other sales are carried out through a mail order business
which has been built up over many years. 3 blind male piano
tuners and 1 female blind machine knitter were employed under
the Home Workers Scheme during the 12 months ended 31st
March, 1966, the total augmentation for these employees being
£949 7s. 3d. The local authority also paid a fee of £50 per worker
towards administrative costs. The Ministry of Labour meets 75%
of this expenditure. The upper limit of capitation fee payable by
the Ministry is £40.
Residential Accommodation
71. The number of registered blind and partially-sighted persons
resident in homes as at 31st March, 1966, was as follows:—
In Homes for the Blind—9 women, 1 man
In other Homes—34 women, 4 men
National Library for the Blind
72. The National Library for the Blind provides a free service,
apart from the appropriate charge made to the local authority, of
Braille and Moon books to blind persons of all ages. There is a
comprehensive range of fiction and non-fiction books available.
Provided sufficient demand exists any particular book will be
transcribed. A special transcription service is available for
students. The Braille and Moon books are sent to and from the
library by post and there is no postage charge. An annual Braille
reading competition is held by the Library to encourage new
readers and maintain the standard of reading of older members
of the Library. The number of blind persons who were members
of the Library at 31st March, 1966, was 34 and the cost to the
London Borough of Bromley for such membership was £3 per
person.