§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average length of time taken to deal with claims for mobility allowance and appeals, at each stage, against refusal of this allowance.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe average time between the receipt of a claim and determination of title is just less than six weeks. The other information is not available. However, the average time taken by a medical board or medical appeal tribunal to deal with an appeal, calculated from small recent surveys, was two weeks and 23 weeks respectively.
§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are receiving (a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance at (i) higher rate and (ii) lower rate and (c) both allowances.
§ Mr. NeedhamThere are 9,600 people receiving mobility allowance and 21,700 receiving attendance allowance of whom 11,500 are being paid at the higher462W rate. Information about the number of people receiving both allowances is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for attendance allowance and mobility allowance in each of the past five years were granted on their initial application and at each review or appeal stage.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe information is as follows. All figures related to decisions given in the relevant years, not to the results of claims made in those years. Four attendance allowance appeals considered by way of review include awards from the lower to the higher rate.
(a) Attendance allowance Initial applications granted Reviews decided in claimants favour 1981 5,051 635 1982 6,682 1,023 1983 7,938 850 1984 8,697 866 1985 8,186 899
(b) Mobility allowance Appeals decided in claimants favour by Initial applications granted (i) (ii) Medical board Medical appeal tribunal 1981 621 54 54 1982 800 99 48 1983* 1,789 101 57 1984 2,055 138 44 1985 2,330 196 72 * Figures for renewal claims only available from September 1983.