§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people claimed health benefits in 1989–90 through their automatic entitlement as claimants of income support or family credit; how many claimed help as a result of the low income scheme: and if he will estimate how many people would be able to claim in 1990–91 if the passport was extended to cover housing benefit and community charge benefit;
(2) what is the rate of take-up of health benefits for (a) claimants with automatic entitlement and (b) claimants entitled to help under the low income scheme.
§ Mr. DorrellInformation concerning help with NHS charges and hospital travel costs for people receiving income support or family credit or who qualify for help on low income grounds is derived from the number of occasions help is provided which does not always identify the numbers of individual patients who have benefited. Nor is it possible to estimate how many people would be able to claim health benefits if the passport was extended to cover housing benefit and community charge benefit because some of them will already qualify for health benefits on other grounds.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health for every £ sterling of expenditure on the agency benefits low income scheme for help with costs of glasses, wigs and fabric supports, prescriptions, dental charge and hospital travel costs, how much is spent on administering the scheme.
§ Mr. DorrellInformation in the form requested is not available.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average time taken to process a claim for help under the low income scheme for health benefits; how it differs between the different benefits; and what is the average time taken to process a claim from a claimant with automatic entitlement to health benefits.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Department of Social Security administers the low income scheme for health benefits and help with hospital travel costs on behalf of the Department of Health. It has advised that in the year ending 30 April 1990 around 86 per cent. of all claims received were cleared within 10 working days.
562WPersons who have automatic entitlement to help with those benefits and those who have established their entitlement under the low income scheme obtain that help simply by declaring that entitlement when requiring those benefits.