§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage of successful applicants for the day and night constant attendance allowance and for the mobility allowance in each of the health areas in Wales; and what percentage of cases which go to a medical tribunal is successful.
§ Mr. RossiIn this question, I assume that the hon. Member refers to attendance allowance under the general scheme and not toconstant attendance allowance under the war pensions and industrial injuries schemes. Attendance allowance figures are not available for health areas, but for Wales as a whole. About 58 per cent. of initial claims were successful in the first nine months of 1981: 26 per cent. were awarded at the higher rate and 32 per cent. at the lower rate. A person who is dissatisfied with the medical decision on his claim to attendance allowance can apply to theattendance allowance board for a review of that decision. In the first nine months of 1981, about 72 per cent. of reviews sought because of dissatisfaction and made within three months of the original decision were successful.
513WAs regards mobility allowance, I regret that separate figures are not available for Wales. In Great Britain as a whole, about 61 per cent. of claims decided in the period January—September 1981 were successful initially; and in the same period 33 per cent. of appeals to medical boards, and 28 per cent. of appeals to medical appeal tribunals, were successful.