§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for the year 1994–95 have been made in(a) South Yorkshire, (b) Humberside, (c) North Yorkshire and (d) West Yorkshire for industrial disablement benefit for emphysema and chronic bronchitis; how many have been successful; how many have been refused and what grounds; and what are the comparable figures for the previous year. [31095]
§ Mr. HagueThe administration of industrial injuries disablement benefit is a matter for Mr. Ian Magee, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
Letter from Ian Magee to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 June 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about claims made for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit in respect of chronic bronchitis and emphysema in Yorkshire and Humberside in 1994–95.
77WInformation about the number of claims, their success rate and the number disallowed is not available in the exact format requested. This is because figures for the number of claims made since the end of the initial twelve month take-on period have been collected separately and in a slightly different format. The take-on period lasted from September 1993 to October 1994.
The available information is shown in the enclosed tables. The information in the first three columns of Table 1 was collected at Area Directorate levels. The information in the last two columns was collected at the Disability Benefit Centre (DBC) in Leeds,
Table 1: September 1993–October 1994 Failed (reason) Area Claims Successful 20 year rule Lung test1 Cat. I pneumoconiosis South Yorkshire and Humberside 6,521 773 171 6,551 3,957 North and West Yorkshire 2,676 420 90 1 These figures were collected by the Disability Benefits Centre (DBC) at Leeds. Leeds DBC also dealt with other areas so the figures do not equate exactly.
Table 2: October 1994–March 1995 Failed (reason) Area Claims Successful 20 year rule Lung test Cat. 1 pneumoconiosis South Yorkshire and Humberside 214 33 9 127 95 North and West Yorkshire 121 21 9 59 23 All tables include claims received but not decided within the period.
Source: 100 per cent. count, figures are subject to amendment.