§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have756W Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. James Wray, dated 17 September 2003:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding the number of people who have appealed Disability Living Allowance decisions in each year since 1997, what proportion were successful in an appeal and what reasons people gave for appealing the initial decisions.We do not have information on the total number of appeals against Disability Living Allowance decisions nor the reasons why initial decisions were appealed. The attached table shows the number of appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance decisions which were received by the Appeals Service; the number cleared with or without a hearing; the number found in favour of the appellant and the percentage found in favour of the appellant for each year since 1998. We began collecting information for the first full year in 1998 and therefore no information is available for 1997.I hope this reply is helpful.to update the 1998 Disability Handbook to include a guide on the needs of adults with autistic spectrum disorders. [129900]
§ Maria EagleThe Department intends to improve and update the medical guidance currently provided to decision-makers. This will be based on information technology that will enable the guidance to be more comprehensive and easier to access. The guidance on all conditions contained in the Disability Handbook, including autistic spectrum disorder in children and adults, will be revised as part of this initiative. A programme for this work is being developed.