§ 35. Mr. Edward Lyonsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will amend existing regulations in order to ensure that the powers of an agent to disburse the mobility allowance of a severely handicapped long-stay resident in a hospital for the mentally-handicapped shall be the same whether the agent is a relative or an area health authority.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe existing regulations provide that, where a beneficiary is incapable of managing his own affairs, the Secretary of State may appoint a person to receive and deal with the benefit on the beneficiary's behalf. The powers vested in a person so appointed do not differ according to whether he is a relative of the beneficiary or an officer of a health authority.