§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will amend the Social Security (Attendance Allowance) (No. 2) Regulations 1975 in order to allow the allowance to be retained by children during the first four weeks in residential care as applies to adults and to children in hospital; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonYes. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 30 June 1983.—[Vol. 44, c.144.]
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why attendance allowance is paid four weekly in arrears when a child receives regular rota-care in a local authority hostel when regulation 18 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979 provides for payment in arrears at weekly intervals; whether he has any evidence that families are withdrawing their children from rota-care because of delays in paying the allowance; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonRegulation 18 permits payment in arrears at intervals other than weekly in any case where my right hon. Friend so directs. To avoid additional administrative costs for the Department and unduly frequent notifications by claimants, payments in the cases de scribed are made four-weekly in arrears. I have no evidence that parents are withdrawing their children from short-term care because of these payment arrangements. However, the proposed change in the regulations which I announced on 30 June in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam)— [Vol. 44, c.144.]—will largely eliminate the difficulty from August and enable us to leave the order book with the parent in most cases.