HC Deb 09 March 1988 vol 129 cc248-9W
Mr. Holt

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of time appellants wait before attending an appeals tribunal for(a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance.

Mr. Portillo

Social security appeal tribunals hear lay questions on mobility allowance and attendance allowance; medical appeal tribunals hear medical questions on mobility allowance and the Attendance Allowance Board reviews medical questions for attendance allowance. The national administrative statistics for social security appeal tribunals show that in Great Britain for the quarter ending 30 June 1987 (the latest available figures), the average time taken between the lodgement and hearing of an appeal is 19.1 weeks for mobility allowance and 30.5 weeks for attendance allowance. I regret that equivalent estimates are not available for medical appeal tribunal hearings or reviews by the Attendance Allowance Board.