§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) in what proportion of appeals against his Department's decisions in respect of mobility and attendance allowances the appellant is successful;
(2) what action is being taken to reduce delay in dealing with appeals against decisions made by the Department in respect of mobility and attendance allowances in Northern Ireland; and what is the average time taken between the application for an appeal and the hearing of such an appeal.
§ Mr. Chris PattenDecisions on applications for mobility allowance and attendance allowance are given by independent statutory authorities and not by the Department of Health and Social Services.