§ BARONESS BROOKE of YSTRADFELLTEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether patients on renal dialysis can be treated as eligible for attendance allowances.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (LORD ABERDARE)My Lords, the Chief National Insurance Commissioner has recently decided that, as a matter of law, it would be open to the Attendance Allowance Board to regard a pattern of three long sessions of dialysis a week as sufficient to meet one of the night requirements. Each case must of course be considered on its own facts, but where, in any case, the facts establish a pattern of dialysis for three nights a week this will be regarded as meeting the medical requirements for payment of attendance allowance at the lower rate. I understand the consequence of this to be that the great majority of those on home dialysis will now be eligible for this allowance.
§ BARONESS BROOKE of YSTRADFELLTEMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, which I am sure will give a great deal of satisfaction to a number of pople on home dialysis, may I ask whether he could first tell me how much the allowance is going to be per week? Secondly, is my noble friend aware that a number of home dialysis patients are now using a new and more efficient artificial kidney which enables them to dialyse only twice a week for 10 hours 328 at a time? Will these patients be eligible for the constant attendance allowance?
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, the lower rate of attendance allowance is £4.15 a week. I am aware of the new arrangements about dialysing twice a week, but only because my noble friend told me five minutes ago. I am afraid I cannot therefore answer her question, which I agree is very important. I will look into it and let her know.
§ BARONESS BROOKE of YSTRADFELLTEMy Lords, may I ask one more supplementary question? Is my noble friend aware that those patients who are using a fistula have to insert needles each time they dialyse, and that therefore, obviously, twice a week is preferable in order to prevent the arm from becoming sore?
§ LORD ABERDAREYes, my Lords: I would certainly agree. I think there are many other reasons why it would be preferable to have this requirement only twice a week rather than three times a week.