§ Mr. MandelsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps were taken to inform all recipients of mobility allowance under the age of 66 years of the new disability living allowance; and what instructions he has issued to adjudication officers in respect of late claims.
§ Mr. ScottSince January 1992, 16 million tailored letters have been issued to some 1.5 million beneficiaries of attendance allowance and mobility allowance, giving advice about disability living allowance. These letters were in a series of 16, eight of which were designed by mobility allowance recipients and people who had been refused mobility allowance. The letters enclosed an explanatory leaflet which set out how the changes would affect individuals and, where appropriate, recipients were invited to claim extra benefit available through disability living allowance. Regulations allow awards of this extra benefit to be backdated to 6 April, if the person was entitled to attendance allowance or mobility allowance at that date.
§ Mr. MandelsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications from Hartlepool, north Tees and Cleveland county have been received for the disability living allowance by the disability living allowance unit; how many of these have resulted in awards; how many of these awards have been at the lowest rate of the care component; and how many have been at the lowest rate of the mobility component.
§ Mr. ScottI understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.