§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the number of people in Lancashire living in residential care homes for the elderly in each of the following sectors: (a) voluntary, (b) private and (c) public for each of the years 1979 to 1985;
(2) what was the number of residential care homes for the elderly in Lancashire for each of the following sectors: (a) voluntary, (b) private and (c) public for each of the years 1979 to 1985.
§ Mr. John PattenThe avail Residential Homes
§ Ms. Harmanable information is in the table.
477W
(a) Mobility Allowance Year Time taken (weeks) 1983 2.0 1984 1.2 1985 0.6
(b) Attendance Allowance Yearr Time taken (Weeks) 1983 4.6 1984 4.0 1985 4.7 The time taken between the making of a decision and notification of that decision in respect of each benefit is not directly comparable because each is administered and adjudicated differently. The latest overall average time taken to clear cases from receipt of a claim to the issue of an order book is 8½ weeks for mobility allowance and 9 weeks for attendance allowance.
Action to make an appointment, where appropriate, is normally taken before a decision is made. No separate figures are kept on the average time taken to make appointments.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what proportion of Welsh claims for (a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance the examining doctor is the claimant's own general practitioner.
§ Mr. NewtonA claimant's own general practitioner does not, at present, undertake any examinations for mobility allowance. General practitioners who are already examining medical officers will undertake the examination of their own patients for attendance allowance but I regret that it is not possible to identify, from the records now kept, the proportion of claims where this occurs.