§ Sir Dudley SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington can expect a reply to his letter of 21 December 1992 about the operations of the Benefits Agency attenance allowance unit at Norcross, Blackpool, the disability benefits centre, Birmingham and the disability living allowance unit at Warbeck house, Blackpool.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to advertise his Department's policy on compensation and to take steps to identify and inform claimants who might be entitled to compensation, either because they have waited over 12 months to hear the outcome of a disability living allowance or attendance allowance claim or because an existing award has been interrupted for longer than three months; and what is the total number of cases where compensation has already been awarded by his Department on either of these grounds.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability living 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 from Michael Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 22 February 1993:
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 his plans to advertise his Department's policy on compensation, and to take steps to identify and inform claimants of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or attendance Allowance (AA) who might be entitled to compensation and the total number of cases where compensation has been awarded.There are no plans for specific advertising of the Department's policy on compensation. The Benefits Agency Customer Charter informs people that a payment can be considered if someone suffers financial loss as a result of our mistake and it guides customers to make contact with their local customer service manager.The staff at the DLA Unit are aware of the compensation arrangements and we regularly remind staff about the procedure for identifying and referring cases for compensation.Up to the 18 February 1993, one hundred and forty-two (142) DLA customers and two (2) AA customers received such compensation payments.I hope you find this rreply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.