§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to make a decision on the application for attendance allowance submitted by Graham Peter Barton of 7 Churchill Cottages, Ugborough, Ivybridge, South Devon, NI No. NZ 46 58 27 A; and if he will make a statement as to the reasons for the 13 month delay in settling this matter.
§ 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 my hon. Friend and a copy will be place in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Anthony Steen, dated 9 February 1993:
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 when he expects to make a decision on the application for Attendance Allowance (AA) submitted by Graham Peter Barton of 7 Churchill Cottages, Ugborough, Ivybridge, South Devon NI No NZ 46 58 27 A; and if he will make a statement as to the reasons for the 13 month delay in settling this.A decision was made on Mr. Barton's AA claim on 24 June 1992 and notified to him on 30 June 1992. The subsequent review decision was made on 26 January 1993 and notified to him on 3 February 1993. Unfortunately Mr Barton's original AA claim made on 5 December 1991 was mislaid. A further claim was not obtained until 19 March and subsequent delays have resulted from the heavy volumes of work following the successful launch of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).My letter of 19 October 1992 to all MPs explained the problems the Agency has faced since the successful launch of DLA and the positive steps I have taken to improve the situation. Further steps are being taken to recruit additional, and redeploy existing resources to clear the backlog of reviews.692WI must apologise for the delay in dealing with Mr Barton's case. Such matters are not taken lightly when they fail to come up to the standard of service the Benefits Agency is trying to give all its customers and in this instance Mr Barton has clearly not received the standard of service to which he is entitled.I have separately replied to you in greater detail about Mr Barton's case. I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.