§ Mr. Easthamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the disappointment caused to successful applicants for mobility allowance by the deferment of payments until after the end of the current year, he will bring forward proposals to advance the starting date of this benefit for new claimants.
§ Mr. PrenticeBecause of the large number of mobility allowance claims received in the final phase, many will not be decided before the end of the year. However, I must emphasise that all successful claims made in time will be paid from 28 November, irrespective of the date of decision. We have recently considerably increased the staffing of the mobility allowance unit and this should greatly assist the clearance of the backlog.