§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the numbers of people requesting the DS2 claim pack for attendance allowance but failing to return it. [16072]
§ 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.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 March 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about claims for Attendance Allowance (AA).The claim pack DS2 is exclusively for use in AA claims. In the period April 1992 to January 1995 some 2,300,000 DS2 claim packs have been issued to Benefits Agency outlets. Though the vast majority of these have gone to customers, information is not available in respect of the number still held in stock.Additionally, DS2A packs are issued to organisations such as Welfare Rights and Citizen's Advice Bureaux. Although 1,500,000 DS2A packs have been issued in the period April 1992 to January 1995 information is not available in respect of the number still held in stock.561WDS2 packs, supplied to customers direct from BA offices, provide an opportunity for a customer to complete and return their claim within a 6 week period whilst maintaining their original date of claim.The total number of AA claims received for the period April 1992 to January 1995 is 1,400,000.I hope you find this reply helpful.