HC Deb 07 November 2000 vol 356 cc161-2W
Mr. Alasdair Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people, who have previously been awarded a life award of disability living allowance at high rate, have had their disability living allowance downgraded following a review in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) Scotland. [135860]

Mr. Bayley

The information is in the table.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) life awards1 at higher rate downgraded following review2 for the period 1 December 1993 to 31 May 2000
Great Britain Scotland
All downgradings3,4,5 55,500 7,200
Downgraded to lower rate3 11,800 1,800
Downgraded to fixed term4 44,600 5,500
1 The term "life award" was removed from legislation in January 2000. Therefore figures may include a small number of indefinite awards.
2 From October 1999 reviews were replaced by two new processes, reconsideration and supercession, which are included in these figures

3 Figures consist of cases where the higher rate of either the care or the mobility component has been reduced.

4 Figures consist of cases previously awarded for life which are then awarded for a fixed period of time.

5 Includes a small number of cases which were both downgraded to a lower rate and downgraded to a fixed term so figures will not sum.

Note:

DLA was created in 1992.

Source:

DSS Information Centre: 5 per cent. data rounded to the nearest hundred.

It is important to note that "life awards" of DLA was never intended to guarantee benefit entitlement up to death. They were always subject to change where, for example, a person no longer continued to satisfy the rules of entitlement, or where an error had been made. The criteria for changing a DLA award were, and remain, the same as those that apply to changes of almost all Social Security benefits. The Government recognised that the "life award" terminology in DLA was in this respect unsatisfactory because it created uncertainty. In the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 the terminology was changed to bring it in to line with other benefits. Awards previously termed "for life" are now termed "indefinite". The Department routinely examines cases to make sure that people are still entitled.