§ Lord Carterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to improve a situation where in 1990 94.4 per cent. of appeals to the social security commissioners concerning attendance allowance found that decisions of delegated medical practitioners were erroneous in law.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Henley)I am unable to confirm the figure of 94.4 per cent.; the Lord Chancellor's Department has advised that information is not available from the office of the social security commissioners on the success rate of attendance allowance (AA) appeals decided in 1990. In any year the number of attendance allowance appeals received by the social security commissioners is a very small percentage of the number of initial claims that are made: 0.14 per cent. in 1990.
From April 1992, decisions on AA (and on disability living allowance, which will replace and extend AA for those becoming disabled before age 65) 3WA will be taken by independent adjudication officers. There will be a new right to a speedy, informal review of all AA and DLA decisions, with subsequent appeal rights for the first time for AA to a new independent disability appeal tribunal with a legally qualified chairman, and thence to the social security commissioners.