§ Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the annual additional expenditure if the qualifying period for attendance allowance was reduced from six months to three months; how many successful claimants would be affected per year; what the annual cost would be of extending entitlement to the(a) mobility component and (b) the lowest rate care component of disability living allowance to people who claim after the age of 65; how many people would gain a mobility component; how many people would gain the lowest rate care component; and if he will make a statement. [178461]
§ Mr. PondThe requested information is not available. Entitlement to Attendance Allowance or to a component of disability living allowance can only be established when a claim is made and the actual needs of the individual are assessed. There are no reliable data available on which estimates could be made of the effects of changing the qualifying period for Attendance allowance or of the number of people aged 65 and over who might be entitled to either the mobility component or the lowest rate care component of disability living allowance if they were to make a claim.