§ Mrs. Bainasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what he attributes the low proportion of persons in Scotland in receipt of attendance allowance compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, pursuant to his reply of 20th February 1978, Official Report, c. 484; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisWhile the proportion of claims per thousand of the population is lower in Scotland than in the 425W rest of the United Kingdom taken as a whole, the reply to which the hon. Lady refers makes it clear that there is also considerable variation between the regions in England, some of which are not markedly different from the Scottish experience. The Attendance Allowance Board monitors the decisions of its delegated medical practitioners to try and achieve consistency of standards and decisions on review are made centrally for the whole of Great Britain. Possible reasons for the variations could include the incidence of disablement; the extent to which the benefit has become known amongst potential claimants; and readiness to make a claim.