§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, if he will investigate the factors that have led to the percentage of successful first claims for attendance allowance during the period January to September 1981 294W being lower in Wales than in any region in England for instance, 20 per cent. lower than in the West Midlands and 24.9 per cent. lower than the East Midlands and East Anglia.
§ Mr. RossiAlthough the percentage of successful first claims was significantly lower in Wales than in most regions in England, the success rate of reviews on the grounds of dissatisfaction against initial decisions in Wales was, at 72 per cent. close to the figure of 70 per cent. for the whole of Great Britain. It has been estimated that at 31 December 1979 the proportion of the population in Wales receiving attendance allowance was, at 8.1 per 1000, considerably higher than in West Midlands, 5-1 per 1000, and East Midlands and East Anglia, 4.9 per 1000. It is possible that a higher proportion of disabled persons are already receiving the benefit in Wales than in regions in England and that, as a consequence, there is a lower success rate for new claims.