§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about his Department's future plans for the disability living allowances Minister's hotline unit; and how many cases have been dealt with by the unit in each month since its establishment.
§ 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.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Brian Donohoe, dated 9 December 1993.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Hotline.The Hotline continues to operate at the DLA Unit in Blackpool and achieve a 48-hour call back service. There are presently no plans to alter this facility. However, as the performance for handling DLA claims is now being sustained at a high level we will have to consider at some point whether there remains a need for the service in the same form to be maintained in the future. Members will be advised of any changes if, and when we propose such changes.407WAs requested, I have provided details in the attached appendix of the number of cases that have been dealt with by the Ministers Hotline since its inception.I hope you find this reply helpful.
Cases dealt with by DLA Ministers Hotline Number of calls 1992 July 417 August 733 September 690 October 1,132 November 885 Decenmber 513 1993 January 858 February 707 March 609 April 469 May 250 June 193 July 178 August 108 September 100 October 88 November 78