Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the time needed to process new Attendance Allowance claims.

The Government currently spends £5.8 billion a year providing some help to 1.43 million people of pension age with the cost of their care needs.

Attendance Allowance provides financial support towards the extra costs faced by those with a severe disability. It is only available to those over State Pension age who require care or supervision as a result of their disability. The support is aimed at those with long term care needs so there is a qualifying period of 6 months. The qualifying period is waived for those with a terminal illness.

Claims for Attendance Allowance can be made by to the Department by telephone on 0800 731 0122 or by obtaining a claim form online at: www.gov.uk and returning to: Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance.

The Department routinely reviews its use of staffing resources to ensure that it meets the needs of our customers. The Department have recently recruited more staff to process Attendance Allowance claims, which will enable us to determine benefit eligibility within a shorter timescale.