HC Deb 02 June 1997 vol 295 c17
17. Mr. Wareing

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to simplify claim forms for disability living allowance and attendance allowance; and if she will make a statement. [893]

Mr. Field

My hon. Friend will know that a simplified claim form for children claiming DLA was introduced in April this year and that we hope to have a simplified form for DLA and for attendance allowance for adults by October this year.

Mr. Wareing

I welcome my hon. Friend to the Front Bench; his answer is reassuring. I hope that he will ensure that the simplified form is available by October this year because the existing form is more complicated than a tax return. It needs a Philadelphia lawyer to interpret many of the questions and many disabled people are put off from even applying. I believe that they will apply after October, provided that my hon. Friend is correct in his prediction.

Mr. Field

I also hope that I am correct in my prediction. My hon. Friend has a long record of promoting the causes of the disabled. He has two Acts to his credit and his remarks will be carefully taken into account by the Government.

Mrs. Ewing

I welcome the hon. Gentleman to the Front Bench, not least because of his analytical thinking on social security. I also welcome his response to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing). In recognition of the fact that next week is carers' week, will the Minister ensure that there is a direct commitment to introduce the simplified form by October this year because all of us who have worked in this sphere know exactly how difficult the forms have been?

Mr. Field

The commitment is for October this year, and I hope that hon. Members will keep the Government to that target.