§ Mr. Austin-WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received concerning the 18-month-old constituent of the hon. Member for Woolwich who is HIV positive with AIDS-related symptoms, for whom an attendance allowance claim was made on 20 January.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of attendance allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter to Mr. John Austin-Walker from Mr. Michael Bichard, dated 26 November 1992.
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the representations received concerning your 18 month old constituent for whom an Attendance Allowance (AA) claim was made on 20 January.
870WI can confirm that an adjudication officer on the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Unit has now considered your constituent's claim and the decision was notified to the child's mother on 24 October. I replied on 24 November to your letter of 1 October to the Minister of State for Social Security and Disabled People and this explains the position in greater detail.
I offer my sincere apologies and regret for the delay your constituent has experienced and clearly on this occasion the family have not received the standard of service which they have every right to expect from the Benefits Agency.
As you are aware, from 6 April DLA replaced and extended both AA and Mobility Allowance for people disabled before the age of 65. I wrote to all MPs on 19 October explaining in detail the significant problems encountered with the launch of DLA and the measures introduced to deal with the backlog which resulted.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.