HC Deb 03 November 1994 vol 248 c1371W
Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what medical assessment is made of persons whose disability living allowance is now to be determined on the middle rate which was previously determined at a higher rate;

(2) when he introduced a middle rate on disability living allowance; and how many people have been affected by the introduction of such a rate.

Mr. Hague

Disability living allowance was introduced on 1 April 1992 with three rates of the care component and two rates of the mobility component. The higher and middle rates of the care components are the same as the higher and lower rates of the old attendance allowance. The higher rate of the mobility component is the same as

Disability Living Allowance Attendance Allowance
Period Total decisions Favourable decisions Success rate per cent. Total decisions Favourable decisions Success rate per cent.
Reviews
1992–1993 446,429 19,580 42 99,709 79,378 80
1993–1994 293,199 135,187 46 118,589 90,742 77
April 1994—june 1995 65,623 34,595 53 24,995 19,888 80
Appeals
1992–1993 276 92 33 Statistics not available in the form requested.
1993–1994 18,459 9,310 50
April 1994—june 1995 7,150 4,056 57

Notes:

  1. 1. Decisions made in the period shown may not relate to requests for review and appeal made during the same period.
  2. 2. Appeals figures for DLA in 1992–93 include a number of mobility allowance appeals.
  3. 3. Favourable decisions are those where the rate of the award has been increased, figures include cases where the claimant's condition has deteriorated since the initial decision was made