§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants were examined by doctors acting for his Department over the last 12 months for the purpose of assessing(a) attendance allowance, (b) mobility allowance and (c) attendance allowance where the claimant was aged over 65 years; what was the average fee paid to doctors for such examinations; and what was the overall cost to his Department of these examinations.
§ Mr. ScottA medical examination is conducted for virtually all initial and subsequent claims to attendance allowance where the claim is not one made on the grounds of terminal illness. Available figures show that in 1991 454,000 such claims were processed. A proportion of the 45,000 requests for renewals of existing attendance allowance awards processed in disability benefit centres, and of the 73,000 decisions given on review, also required a medical examination.
There were 262,000 claims for mobility allowance. Apart from a small percentage, where the claimant clearly did not fulfil one of the qualifying conditions, each of these required a medical examination. A further 31,000 appeal cases also required medical examinations.
In December 1991 fees paid to doctors for attendance allowance and mobility allowance examinations conducted in their surgeries and customers homes ranged from £31 to £83.70, depending upon the type of examination and the time taken to complete it.
An estimate of the total cost of medical examinations for attendance allowance and mobility allowance could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.