§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals have been lodged against local adjudication officers who have refused claims for attendance allowance in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those appeals have been successful during the same period.
§ Mr. ScottThe information is in the table.
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Attendance allowance appeals lodged with and percentage success rates at Social Security appeal tribunals 1985–89 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Appeals lodged 237 204 163 402 457 Percentage successful 11.8 13.7 19.6 14.4 14.7 Requests for reviews of the decisions on attendance needs are for the Attendance Allowance Board.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidelines have been issued in the last two years to local officers to determine eligibility for attendance allowance.
§ Mr. ScottThe main adjudicating authority for attendance allowance is the attendance allowance board. The board published its handbook for delegated medical practitioners—the doctors who make decisions on its behalf—in 1988. Amendments to the guidance in the handbook are included in the board's published annual reports. A copy of the last report, which was issued in June 1990, has been put in the Library. I understand that a further three amendments to this guidance—dealing with children under two years of age, children with deafness and blindness, and relevant changes in circumstances—are to be issued shortly.