Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the procedures for notifying his Department of a change of circumstances in the event of hospitalisation when the claimant is incapacitated and unable to contact the Disability Benefits helpline.

The Department has reviewed its procedures for notifying hospital admissions when the customer is incapacitated and unable to contact us themselves.

We have taken account of the fact that there is no reduction in the Benefit paid for the first twenty eight days following admission, where there has been no previous hospitalisation within the preceding twenty eight days. Also, measures are in place so that the report of the hospital admission may be taken from another person, on the customer’s behalf. We have concluded that the procedures already in place are satisfactory.