§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any changes in the procedures for claims for attendance allowance; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonThere have been two such changes. First, in August 1983, we introduced a new procedure for renewal claims. Where sufficient information is already available the delegated medical practitioner of the Attendance Allowance Board issues a new certificate of attendance needs without asking for a fresh medical examination and report. The result of this change is that over 50 per cent. of renewal cases are now awarded certificates for a further period without an examination and the time taken to deal with such cases has been correspondingly reduced. Secondly, since April, initial action on first claims has been taken by regional offices of the Department rather than local offices. This is in accordance with one of the recommendations of the report by Mr. P. R. Oglesby for speeding up the handling of claims.