§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many new claims for attendance allowance have been made to each disability benefit centre in each month since April 1992 which have either(a) resulted in an award or (b) been rejected; and, in each case, whether (i) examining medical practitioner evidence was provided, (ii) general practitioner factual reports were provided or (iii) the claim was decided solely on the statement of evidence provided by the claimant;
(2) how many new claims for attendance allowance have been refused, broken down by reason for refusal, in each month since April 1992 at each disability benefit centre and for the country as a whole.
§ Mr. HagueThe administration of attendance allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 29 November 1994:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for information about Attendance Allowance (AA) claims at each Disability Benefit Centre (DBC).I apologise for the delay in providing you with this information.Information in respect of reasons for refusal of AA claims is not available. However, the information that is available has been enclosed and a copy has been placed in the Library.It should be noted that the figures given may not accurately reflect new claims received within each month at each DBC because relevant statistics are compiled at the date a claim is cleared rather than the date it is received.I hope you find this reply helpful