§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to accelerate the attendance allowance assessment process.
§ Mr. ScottWe have already been successful in reducing the average time taken to decide attendance allowance claims from 12.5 weeks in 1983 to 7.5 weeks currently. Finding ways to further accelerate the process is not a simple or quick task; but it is one of the aspects of the attendance allowance scheme which we are considering in the light of the information from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys disability surveys.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on how many occasions since 1983 the general practitioner of an applicant for attendance allowance was present when their medical assessment for eligibility for the allowance was carried out; and if he will make a statement.