§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what rules he proposes to apply for the award of disability premium for people on income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit, following the introduction of incapacity benefit in 1995.
§ Mr. BurtThe disability premium provides extra help in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit for long-term sick and disabled people.
For those claiming these benefits as long-term sick the rules for the disability premium will be changed from April 1995 to reflect the incapacity benefit changes announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 1 December 1993. The new long-term incapacity benefit will act as a passport to the disability premium. Severe disablement allowance will continue to bring entitlement to the disability premium. For those who have no other means of entitlement, the period of incapacity needed to qualify will increase from 28 to 52 weeks and the new definition of work and assessment of incapacity will apply.
Disability living allowance, attendance allowance and mobility supplement are other passporting benefits to the disability premium, which can be awarded on other grounds—for instance, if the person is registered blind. These routes to the disability premium will not be affected by the incapacity benefit changes.