§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what efforts his Department has made to locate the application form for dependency benefit in respect of the wife of Mr. A., a constituent of the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton, who name and address is contained in the Minister of State's letter of 1 April (ref. PO (5) 4374/55), which Mr. A. delivered by hand to the Burley's Way, Leicester, office of his Department on 6 February 1981, but which was never received at the Yeoman street office when the case papers were transferred; whether he will now authorise back payment of this benefit, following the correspondence with the hon. Member on this matter, and the administrative errors accepted by the Minister in that correspondence.
§ Mr. NewtonMy hon. Friend will be aware from our earlier correspondence that the Department has made intensive efforts to trace the claim for dependency benefit made in respect of Mrs. A. which was alleged to have been made on 6 February 1981. Searches of records at Burley's Way, Leicester, office and the Yeoman street office produced no evidence of such a claim made earlier than February 1983.
In March 1984 the late claim for the period 9 February 1981 to 1 July 1981 was referred to the adjudication officer 433W who disallowed the claims for dependency benefit. In reaching that decision the adjudication officer would have considered the evidence of a claim having been made in 1981. The claimant was interviewed following the adjudication officer's decision and advised of his right of appeal to the social security appeal tribunal which he chose not to exercise. It is, of course, still open to the claimant to make a late appeal to the social security appeal tribunal which the chairman may decide should be heard if good cause has been shown for the delay. In these circumstances, I do not consider it would be appropriate to make an extra-statutory payment.