§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many disability living allowance appeals have been heard by disability appeal tribunals; and in how many cases the appeal succeeded wholly or in part.
§ 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 Michael Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 24 May 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 asking how many Disability Living Allowance (DLA) appeals have been heard by Disability Appeal Tribunals (DATS) and in how many cases the appeal succeeded wholly or in part.
For the period February 1992 to 30 April 1993 there have been a total of 319 appeals heard by the DATs. Of these some 133 succeeded in their appeal either wholly or in part.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he intends to take to reduce waiting times for attendance allowance, mobility allowance and disability living allowance from application to appeal hearing.
§ 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 Michael Bichard to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 24 May 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking 564W what action he intends to take to reduce waiting time for Attendance Allowance (AA), Mobility Allowance (Mob A) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) from application for appeal to appeal hearing.
There are a number of current initiatives that have been instigated with a view to speeding up the throughput of appeal hearings. These include:—
The establishment of a centralised Appeals Unit to process all applications for appeal relating to DLA, MoB A, AA (under 65) and transitional AA.
The availability of additional resources to improve the speed with which an appeal submission is prepared.
The setting of aggressive internal targets to ensure that external performance indicators are achieved.
The improvement of courier arrangements to ensure next day delivery to the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS)—Disability Appeal Tribunal Central Office (DATCO) of all submissions despatched from the Fylde.
The arrangement of monthly liaison meetings with ITS to identify any problem areas and introduce operational improvements.
The planning of a pilot scheme with the aim of streamlining the current style of submission.
It should be noted that once appeals have been prepared and submitted by BA the actual scheduling and subsequent hearing of them falls wholly within the remit of ITS. This is an area over which BA does not have absolute control.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what lessons have been learned from the introduction of disability living allowance which could be applied to the introduction of new benefits in the future; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottChanges to the social security scheme are always formally evaluated against both their policy and operational objectives. Some valuable points have already emerged which will help to inform future developments.