§ Mr. BerryTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have their attendance allowance withdrawn because they have been in hospital for four weeks or longer. [51574]
§ Maria EagleWhen attendance allowance recipients have been in hospital for 28 days, payments are suspended pending their discharge because the needs arising from their disability are being met free of charge. Information is not available on the annual number of suspensions resulting from these circumstances. The latest available information is that, at 30 November 2001, about 15,600 claims were at that time recorded as suspended as a result of a stay in hospital.
This figure is based on 5 per cent. data and rounded to the nearest hundred.