§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to begin paying Mrs. Shirley Wakeham of The Nook, Ugborough, Ivybridge, South Devon, the disability living allowance awarded to her on 26 February 1992; if he will make a statement as to the reasons for the delay; and if he will consider the payment of interest to reimburse Mrs. Wakeham for the unpaid benefit.
691W
§ 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 placed 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 raised 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 paymerts of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) awarded to Mrs Shirley Wakeham of The Nook, Ugborough, Ivybridge, South Devon, will begin, the reasons for the delay, and whether he will consider the payment of interest to reimburse Mrs Wakeham for the unpaid benefit.Outstanding payments of DLA were made to Mrs Wakeham on 5 February 1993. Payment was unfortunately delayed due to a clerical error made in recording the Adjudication Officer's (AO) decision onto the DLA computer system.The rules governing the payment of compensation for loss of interest are quite specific and require that delay in making payment on a claim must amount to 12 months or more before compensation can be considered. In Mrs Wakeham's case the delay amounts to less than 12 months therefore compensation cannot be paid.Clearly her payments have not been handled with the efficiency I would expect and I offer my sincere apologies for any distress or inconvenience caused.I have separately replied to you in greater detail about this 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.