§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to exempt claimants of the industrial injuries disablement benefit from her proposed restrictions on backdating; and what procedures will be introduced to protect disabled people whose conditions are not immediately diagnosed. [11583]
596W
§ Mr. Keith BradleyClause 70 of the Social Security Bill provides for the alignment of the time limits for the backdating of claims to benefit with the one month currently allowed for reviews. This provision is an integral part of modernising and streamlining the social security system. It will make the system easier to operate and simpler for people to understand. It will also underline the importance of people making their claims promptly.
The Social Security Bill also provides for regulations to prescribe exceptions to the one-month time limit. We are currently giving careful consideration to what, if any, circumstances there might be in which exceptions ought to apply.
People who qualify for industrial injuries benefits already receive a substantial preference in that their benefits are non-contributory and tax-free and are payable on top of any mainstream incapacity and disablement benefits to which they may also be entitled.