§ Mr. Terry FieldsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people made a fresh claim or renewal claim for attendance allowance within the last year; how many fresh claims were awarded the higher rate, the lower rate and how many were denied benefit; how many people originally denied attendance allowance are awarded benefit on review; how many people awarded the lower rate of attendance allowance were subsequently paid the higher rate upon requesting a review; how many people awarded attendance allowance at the lower rate lost the benefit entirely as a result of requesting a review; what is the average period for which attendance allowance is paid; in how many cases attendance allowance is paid in respect of babies under two years, and of these how many are awarded the higher and lower rates; what is the average length of time from a claim for attendance allowance and the time the claimant is notified of the decision; and what is the average time taken from the request for a review to the time of a decision.
§ Mr. ScottThe information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is as follows
—In 1989 there were 365,000 initial claims to attendance allowance.—In 1989 of the decisions on initial claims to attendance allowance 84,000 resulted in an award at the higher rate, 145,000 in an award at the lower rate and 101,000 were rejected. These decisions do not exclusively relate to the claims received in the same period.131W—The total number of awards of attendance allowance, including renewal claims, where the award changed from the lower to the higher rate for the 12 month period ending 30 September 1990 was 31,000.—In the period April 1990 to December 1990 there were 4,800 awards of attendance allowance to children under two years.—The average clearance time for initial claims to attendance allowance was 7.2 weeks for the year 1989–90.—The average clearance time for attendance allowance reviews was 13.9 weeks for the year 1989–90.
§ Mr. Terry FieldsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether all rates of the proposed disability allowance will be disregarded in full for the purpose of calculating income-related benefits.
§ Mr. ScottDisability living allowance will be treated in exactly the same way in the calculation of income-related benefits as the two benefits it will replace: attendance allowance for those disabled before age 65 and mobility allowance. As with attendance allowance, the care component will be regarded as available to help meet the care costs of income support claimants in residential care and nursing homes. Otherwise all rates of the new benefit will be wholly disregarded in calculating entitlement to income-related benefits.
§ Mr. Terry FieldsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the qualifying conditions for each component and each rate of the proposed disability allowance.
§ Mr. ScottThe conditions of entitlement to disability living allowance are set out in the Disability Living Allowance and Disability Working Allowance Bill currently before Parliament and in the notes on clauses, a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. Terry FieldsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many local offices of his Department exceeded their social fund allocations for(a) budgeting loans, (b) crisis loans and (c) community care grants between the time of the High Court decision in February and the issue of new directions in September.
§ Mr. ScottNo office exceeded its social fund allocation for either loans or grants as a result of the judicial review. Further allocations were made where necessary to offices which faced additional expenditure following the review. Lists of those allocations were placed in the Library in March and September 1990.