§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if applications for mobility allowance and attendance allowance, preceding the introduction of disability living allowance, are dealt with under legislation applicable at the time of application.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking if applications for Mobility Allowance (MobA) and Attendance Allowance (AA), preceding the introduction of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), are dealt with under legislation applicable at the time of application.I can confirm that all such claims made before 16 March 1992 were dealt with under the legislation appropriate to those benefits. Claims made on or after 16 March 1992 have been dealt with under the same legislation but using the new adjudication structure for DLA. All claims outstanding at 6 April 1992, regardless of when they were received, were dealt with under the new adjudication provisions, although the MobA and AA criteria apply.I hope this reply will be of help to you. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many applications were refused for(a) attendance allowance, (b) mobility allowance and (c) disability living allowance in 1992, to 30 September;
(2) how many outstanding (a) applications, (b) reviews and (c) appeals were ongoing for attendance allowance on 1 April;
(3) how many outstanding (a) applications, (b) reviews and (c) appeals were ongoing for mobility allowance on 1 April;
740W(4) how many persons were employed dealing with (a) disability living allowance, (b) attendance allowance and (c) mobility allowance on 1 October;
(5) how many applicants for (a) attendance allowance, (b) mobility allowance and (c) disability living allowance have not received payment for a successful claim six months after their application, from 1 October 1991 to 1 October 1992;
(6) how many persons were employed dealing with (a) disability living allowance, (b) attendance allowance and (c) mobility allowance on 1 April;
(7) how many persons have claimed (a) attendance allowance, (b) mobility allowance and (c) disability living allowance in 1992 to 30 September;
(8) what was the training budget for personnel involved in (a) disability living allowance and (b) disability working allowance.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability benefits is a matter for Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Mobility Allowance (MOBA).It will perhaps be helpful if I explain a little about the changes which took place with the onset of the new adjudication structure. With the introduction of the DLA from 6 April 1992, all outstanding AA claims, reviews and appeals in respect of people under 65 were transferred to DLA for processing under the new adjudication system introduced at the same time. This was because any award of AA spanning 6 April for people under 65 would automatically become the Care Component of DLA at that time.Cases in respect of people aged 65 or over would not be subject to the change to DLA, but would continue to receive or apply for AA. The change in the adjudication system which applied to DLA was however also introduced for AA.Outstanding AA and MOBA claims, reviews and appeals
The major transfer of work to DLA with its introduction in April involved in excess of 70,000 cases.Of this total there were approximately 23,000 claims to MOBA which were transferred to the DLA Unit for processing under the new rules, with a further 11,500 or so reviews and appeals.In the region of 20,000 claims to AA from people under the age of 65 were also transferred to the new adjudication structure along with just over 16,000 reviews and appeals.In addition to those cases which fell to be considered as DLA, there remain those cases from people aged over 65, which are still administered as AA. At the beginning of April, just over 101,000 such claims were outstanding in the DBCs, with around 30,000 appeals and reviews at the Fylde AA Unit.Number of claims made and refused
I should first explain that claims to DLA are administered by ten Disability Benefit Centres (DBCs) around the country and the DLA Unit at Fylde. Claim forms are specially designed to direct customers to return the claim to the DBC nearest their home address. The Centre is then responsible for the claim, obtaining any other relevant information and making the decision on entitlement.In addition there are also applications from people currently getting either AA or MOBA but who may also be entitled to an additional amount under the DLA rules. These applications, known as "Top-up" claims, are dealt with at a special unit at Preston.741WThe following table shows the number of claims received and the number refused from February to September:
AA DLA Top-up Number of claims made 386,000 303,000 195,000 Refusals 88,000 86,000 23,000 Staffing and Training
As part of the preparation for the launch of DLA and the introduction of the revised adjudication structure for AA, there was a major comprehensive training programme in 1991–92. Manpower costs for this programme were in the region of £2 million. For Disability Working Allowance, the comparative figure was just below £200,000.Although the Agency had expected the initial launch of the new benefits to generate large numbers of claims in the early months, the success of the advertising campaign and the widespread interest from disabled people meant that the numbers we received in total, exceeded our expectations in the early stages.This sudden surge coupled with the extensive recruitment and training programme, for staff who were still adjusting to the new benefit processes, meant that a backlog of cases built up in the weeks following the launch.In direct response to this situation, extra staff have been deployed, and overtime is being worked to a considerable extent. The staff in post numbers for all DLA and AA operations at the Fylde and DBC offices have therefore been increased from around 3,300 in April to over 4,600 at the beginning of October. These figures include all AA staff for dealing with claims reviews and appeals etc. from people over age 65 and work for MOBA and AA (below 65) which of course were subsumed within DLA from its introduction.Delays in payment
You asked about the numbers of applicants who have not received payment for a successful claim six months after their application. This information is not available in the format you requested. I should explain, however, that payment authorization is despatched within 24 or 48 hours of the decision on the case being recorded.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what response his Department makes to a complaint from an applicant concerning failure to respond to an application for mobility allowance or disability living allowance, where the applicant gives notice that he or she will contact his or her hon. Member if no response is received within 28 days.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of the disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Alun Michael dated 27 October 1992.
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the response made to a customer who gives notice that they will contact their honourable member if their claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA,) or Mobility Allowance is not processed within 28 days.I wrote to all MPs on 19 October explaining in detail the significant problems encountered with the launch of DLA and the measures introduced to deal with the backlog which resulted.The extent and speed of the response to the launch of the new benefit has meant that we have been unable to process claims as quickly as we would have liked. In order to keep 742W customers informed of any delays we automatically send notification of progress 6 weeks after the claim is registered. I understand that customers may sometimes feel that contacting their MP will help to speed up the processing of their claim and whilst we appreciate their frustration, it is our policy always to deal with claims as quickly as possible.I regret that customers are experiencing delays and I am by no means complacent about the number of applications still to be processed. I am currently monitoring the situation closely and I am confident that we will have reached a steady state shortly for new claims and by the end of November for "top-up" claims.I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the number and percentage of requests for a medical examination by people claiming(a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance since the introduction of the new self-assessment claiming system;
(2) when he expects the target clearance rate for new disability living allowance claims to be met; what targets have been set for reviews of decisions on (a) new disability living allowance, (b) outstanding mobility allowance or(c) attendance allowance; and when he expects each of these targets to be met;
(3) what was the total number and percentage of claims for disability living allowance where the adjudicating officer required further evidence; and what were the number and percentage requiring (a) an EMP report, (b) evidence other than an EMP report and (c) both;
(4) how many requests for reviews of disability living allowance have been received by his Department; and what number and percentage of these (a) resulted in an increase in the amount of benefit payable, (b) resulted in an original award being maintained, (c) resulted in a reduction in benefit and (d) remain outstanding;
(5) what is the number and percentage of (a) new claims and (b) top-up claims for disability living allowance to date that have either (i) resulted in an award or (ii) been rejected, broken down by whether (1) EMP evidence was provided and (2) the claim was decided solely on the statement of disability evidence provided by the claimant;
(6) how many (a) new and (b) top-up claims for the disability living allowance have been received by his Department to date; if he will provide a breakdown by (i) the number and percentage of these that resulted in an award, (ii) the number and percentage of these that were refused broken down by grounds for refusal and (iii) the number and percentage of these that are awaiting a decision; and if he will provide totals for the country as a whole and by each of the regions covered by the 10 disability benefit centres;
(7) what are the national average clearance times for (a) new and (b) top-up claims for disability living allowance for (i) each month since February and (ii) the period from the beginning of April to September inclusive; and if he will provide a breakdown by disability benefit centre.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Richard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 October 1992: 743W
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about claims to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and requests for review of DLA and Attendance Allowance (AA) claims. I will deal with each of your points in turn:Numbers and percentage of requests for a medical examination by people claiming DLA and AA
One of the primary aims of the introduction of DLA and AA for people aged 65 or over was to reduce the need for medical examinations. New self assessment procedures place more reliance on information provided by customers. The DLA and AA claim packs do not direct applicants to request an examination. The information you require as to the number of cases where people have opted to undergo a medical examination is therefore not available.Claims adjudicated upon on receipt and those requiring further medical evidence
From February to the end of September almost 190,000 decisions on new claim were made, over 117,000 of the decisions made were awards with around 72,000 unsuccessful. A breakdown of the numbers of decisions based upon the information provided on the claim form and those requiring further medical evidence or opinion is at Annex 1.Number of claims made, decided and outstanding
You asked for the number of new claims and "top-up" claims that have been made to DLA, together with the number and percentage of awards and refusals. A breakdown of claims received, decided and the numbers outstanding at each of the Disability Benefit Centres (DBCs) is given at Annex 2. I should explain that it is not possible to show the figures for "top-up" claims in the same format as new claims as they are processed at a special unit in Preston. Figures for "top-up" claims are shown at Annex 3.National average clearance times
The Benefits Agency introduced a standard performance measure across benefits some time ago. This is expressed in terms of clearance targets days rather than average clearance times as was previously the case.
Annex 1 Claims adjudicated upon on receipt and those requiring further evidence Total number of decisions made Decision based on claim pack Reflected as a percentage of total Decision based on medical examination Reflected as a percentage of total Decision based on other evidence Reflected as a percentage of total New claims Awards 117,300 61,100 52 23,200 20 33,000 28 Rejections 72,500 29,600 41 14,600 20 28,400 39 Top-up claims Awards 98,000 78,000 80 12,000 12 8,000 8 Rejections 21,100 15,600 74 2,200 10 3,300 16 744W
Annex 2 Analysis of adjudication officer decisions on new claims (February to September) Figures rounded to nearest hundred Total received Total awards Rejections Total rejections Total adjudication Total cleared Number outstanding Medical grounds Lay grounds (1) Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Edinburgh 36,300 10,300 28 7,200 20 1,300 4 8,500 23 18,800 52 18,500 51 17,800 49 Newcastle 19,800 7,500 38 8,100 41 700 3 8,800 44 16,300 82 16,000 81 3,800 19 Leeds 34,900 16,700 48 8,600 25 1,400 4 10,000 29 26,700 77 26,900 77 8,000 23 Manchester 24,300 8,500 35 9,900 41 900 4 10,800 45 19,300 79 19,500 80 4,800 20 Bootle 26,400 11,100 42 6,000 23 900 3 6,900 26 18,000 68 17,700 67 8,800 33 Birmingham 46,000 17,000 37 7,400 16 1,400 3 8,800 19 25,800 56 25,200 55 20,800 45 Bristol 17,800 9,200 52 4,300 24 800 5 5,100 29 14,400 81 14,400 81 3,400 19 Cardiff 24,400 11,000 45 6,900 28 900 4 7,700 32 18,700 77 18,500 76 5,800 24 Wembley 36,100 18,000 50 7,400 21 1,800 5 9,200 26 27,300 76 26,800 74 9,200 26 Since the launch of DLA in February 1992 the performance to date has shown a 31 % clearance rate against the primary target of 30 days. The latest performance for the month of September also shows 31 % of claims cleared within 30 days. The table at Annex 4 shows the clearance times for each DBC between February and September inclusive for new DLA claims, but not those made under the special rules, for both the primary target (60% in 30 days) and secondary target (95% in 55 days). The clearance of "top-up" claims is shown at Annex 5.
The success of the advertising campaign and the policy initiatives surrounding the launch of the benefits, attracted a much larger number of applicants in the early stages than was expected. Backlogs of work arose as a result and this has undoubtedly affected our ability to meet the clearance targets which are intended to represent the on-going situation.
Significant inroads have now been made into these backlogs and whilst there will always be a certain number of cases in action at any one time, I would expect this to reduce to manageable proportions shortly.
Reviews of decisions on DLA, and outstanding MobA and AA.
745WYou asked how many requests for review of DLA have been received, the outcomes of those determined, and the numbers still outstanding. Since the benefit's launch in February, just over 18,000 requests for review have been received, with less than 15,000, which represents approximately 80%, remaining outstanding at the end of September.I should explain, however, that over 6,500 were received in September alone. These review requests relate to decisions on new DLA/AA and MobA claims and to requests for reviews of existing MobA and AA awards. The targets for clearance of all types of reviews are to clear 60% in 55 days and 95% in 75 days. For the continuing AA scheme, the comparable figures are 60% in 61 days and 95% in 81 days. Reliable information is not yet available about the outcome of applications for reviews. These targets are intended to represent the situation in stable running; currently much effort is being channelled into clearing these unadjudicated cases outstanding at April 1992. As I said in my letter of 19 October to all Members, these cases will be cleared by the end of December, and I would expect that clearance times of applications for reviews will improve thereafter.All figures quoted are provisional and may therefore be subject to amendment.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
Total received Total awards Rejections Total rejections Total adjudication officer decisions Total cleared Number outstanding Medical grounds Lay grounds (1) Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Number As a percentage Sutton 31,400 14,400 46 7,900 25 1,600 5 9,400 30 23,800 76 23,800 76 7,600 24 All regions1 297,400 123,700 42 73,800 25 11,500 4 85,300 29 209,000 70 207,300 70 90,100 30 Great Britain 303,400 126,100 42 74,300 24 11,900 4 86,200 28 212,000 70 213,800 70 89,700 30 1 Figures differ from national due to business conducted at North Fylde.
Annex 3 Analysis of adjudication officer decisions on top-up claims(February to September) Figures rounded to nearest thousand Total received 195,000 Total awards 98,000 as percentage 61 Total rejections1 23,000 as percentage 12 Total AO decisions 121,000
Annex 4 Performance indicators for new claims by DBC (Percentage) Days February March April May June July August September Overall Edinburgh 30 99 96 42 14 9 10 12 22 19 55 99 99 98 78 33 34 28 41 44 Newcastle 30 99 96 67 25 19 26 20 35 37 55 99 99 99 87 56 50 48 63 69 Leeds 30 99 98 78 37 6 7 30 44 33 55 99 99 99 90 42 55 64 66 66 Manchester 30 90 95 58 23 11 25 26 38 32 55 99 99 99 88 54 52 53 60 62 Bootle 30 99 97 44 9 10 7 18 27 21 55 99 99 99 76 31 28 52 52 51 Birmingham 30 99 98 69 29 12 17 19 21 25 55 99 99 99 83 47 38 41 39 49 Bristol 30 99 97 75 38 17 6 11 32 31 55 99 98 98 91 64 22 50 69 62 Cardiff 30 99 97 63 13 13 13 27 34 30 55 99 99 99 82 62 44 56 60 63 Wembley 30 99 97 70 34 23 36 34 36 44 55 99 98 98 85 65 66 63 63 73 Sutton 30 99 97 78 36 19 28 35 33 40 55 99 98 99 92 57 57 58 59 66
Annex 5 Performance indicators for top-up claims conversion unit (percentage) Days February March April May June July August Sept Overall 55 99 99 95 55 14 6 6 15 21 70 99 99 98 92 43 17 12 22 35
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what were the average fees paid by his Department to doctors for(a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance claims; what was the total amount spent by his Department on payment of such fees to doctors; and what were the numbers of cases involved in each of the previous three years;
(2) how many doctors are currently employed by his Department for dealing with disability and attendance
746W
Figures rounded to nearest thousand as percentage 62 Total cleared 137,000 as percentage 70 Number outstanding 58,000 as percentage 30 1 These are almost all medical; 108 for other reasons. Note:
No regional figures available since all conversion done at North Fylde.
allowance claims; and how many doctors were employed by his Department for dealing with mobility and attendance allowance claims in each of the previous three years;
(3) what is the average fee paid by his Department to doctors for an examination required by a claim for disability living allowance or attendance allowance; and in how many cases an examination has taken place and the total amount spent on such fees to date.
747W
§ Mr. ScottThe use of doctors to examine claimants and the cost of gathering medical evidence for social security benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security concerning doctors employed by the Department who are dealing with claims for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Mobility Allowance (MobA). I will answer each of your points in turn. Average fees paid to doctors for MobA and AA claims.The average fees paid for combined MobA/AA examinations including an average for travelling expenses is as follows:
Over 2.5 hours 1989 88 1990 81 1991 75 The total amount spent on fees in 1991–92 was £27 million. It is not possible to identify the specific administrative costs incurred in paying these fees. Similarly, the figures for the number of cases involved in each of the last three years are not readily available and could only be obtained at dispropor-tionate cost.
Average fees paid to doctors for examinations on DLA or AA claims.
The average fee paid for DLA/AA65 + examinations is £83 per 3.5 hours which includes an average for travelling expenses.To date the total amount spent on such fees is £4 million and examinations have occurred in approximately 52,000 cases.Number of doctors employed
There are currently 66 doctors employed by the Agency for DLA/AA65 + claims. The number of doctors employed for AA/MobA claims at the end of each of the previous three years is as follows:
Number of limes subject covered in calls Percentage of total subjects 1 Number of calls abandoned Month Disability living allowance Attendance allowance Disability living allowance Attendance allowance February 49,431 8,249 66 11 37,943 March 55,230 7,247 68 9 11,474 April 57,455 20,983 52 19 11,370 May 33,133 16,159 45 22 10,438 June 45,917 20,350 45 20 11,019 July 30,233 10,979 44 16 11,551 August 25,010 9,065 44 16 9,290 September 23,460 8,880 40 15 8,793 1 The number of abandoned calls are relevant to the whole service provided by the Benefit Enquiry Line. I hope you find the reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional resources, excluding any redeployment of existing resources the Benefits Agency has at its disposal, have been made available to the Benefits Agency to enable it to clear the backlog of disability living allowance claims and reviews and any outstanding reviews and renewal claims for mobility allowance and attendance allowance.
748W
Number 1989–90 39 1990–91 39 1991–92 41 The reason that full-time Medical Officer requirements increased for DLA/AA65 + was partly due to the higher workload forecast compared to AA/MobA, and partly by the use of full-time Medical Officers instead of fee paid doctors. I should explain that this has resulted in a net saving of £865,000.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what number and percentage of all inquiries received by the benefits inquiry line related to disability living allowance and attendance allowance in each month since February; and how many calls were recorded but not able to get through on this line over the same period.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability living allowance and attendance allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what number and percentage of all enquiries received by the Benefits Enquiry Line related to Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance in each month since February; and how many calls were recorded but not able to get through on this line over the same period.The information requested is shown below:
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what additional resources are available to clear the backlog of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 749W claims and reviews and any outstanding reviews and renewals claims for Mobility Allowance (MobA) and Attendance Allowance (AA).The Agency launched DLA in February, with an extensive publicity campaign. As part of this campaign, we wrote to all existing MobA and AA beneficiaries, in the region of 1 million, explaining the changes and, where appropriate, inviting them to claim extra money under the new DLA rules. In the meantime other take up campaigns were being run outside the organisation to encourage claims.We had expected the initial launch of the new benefit to generate large numbers of claims in the months surrounding the benefit's introduction, and we calculated that around 2,000 staff would be required to process the claims for DLA. However, whilst we had planned for some increase in applications, the success of the advertising campaign and the widespread interest from disabled people, attracted a much larger number of applications in the early stages than was expected. There was also a huge increase in the numbers of claims to AA during the same period.This sudden surge coupled with extensive recruitment and training programmes of 2,000 staff who were still adjusting to the new benefit processes meant that a backlog of cases built up in the weeks following the introduction of DLA. The transfer of outstanding MobA and AA renewal claims, reviews and appeals from 6 April to a completely new adjudication structure, was in itself, a major exercise.As a result, over 800 extra staff have been recruited and trained and are now in place dealing with DLA and AA. There has been extensive overtime working across the ten Disability Benefit Centres and the DLA Unit at Fylde. As I am only given the resources to cope with the forecast workload, and this has in total been exceeded, I have had to find these resources from elsewhere in the Agency.In addition the backlog of cases has generated further enquiries from customers seeking advice and information about their claim. Extra staff have therefore been taken on to handle telephone enquiries received at the DLA Central Enquiry Handling Service at Fylde.As a result of these and other measures, significant inroads have been made into the backlog of work. Of course, there will always be a certain number of cases in action at any one time, but I am now confident that this will shortly have reduced to manageable proportions.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims to date for the disability living allowance have been completed(a) with the assistance of telephone calls and (b) with the assistance of visits made by the forms completion service staff in the disability benefits centres.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many claims to date for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) have been completed (a) with the assistance of telephone calls and (b) with the assistance of visits made by the forms completion service staff in the Disability Benefit Centres.Since the launch of the benefit on 3 February until 25 September 1992, nearly 43,000 claims were completed with the assistance of telephone calls and approximately 1,650 visits had been made by the Forms Completion Staff in the Disability Benefit Centres.This information differs from that I provided in my letter to you of 13 July 1992.750WI hope that you will find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will hold an inquiry into the extent to which the administrative delays experienced by applicants for mobility allowance, attendance allowance and disability living allowance are incompatible with the citizens charter; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottNo. The chief executive of the Benefits Agency is responsible for the assessment of claims, reviewing entitlements to and arranging payments of social security benefits. He wrote to all hon. Members on 6 July and again on 19 October setting out the progress that has been made in this area by the agency.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional capital resources have been made available to introduce disability living allowance.
§ Mr. ScottThe provision of capital resources for the Benefits Agency is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what additional capital resources have been made available to introduce Disability Living Allowance (DLA).A total of £19m has been made available for the introduction of DLA. This sum takes account of expenditure on the purchase of computer equipment, telecom equipment, office machines and furnishings and the refurbishment or redevelopment of the ten locations throughout the country within which are housed the staff administering DLA.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.