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11 Nov 2008 : Column 1110W—continued

Departmental Trade Unions

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants in his Department were seconded to work for (a) trades unions and (b) the Trades Union Congress in each year since 2003. [229093]

Jonathan Shaw: Data on how many civil servants were seconded to work for trade unions and the Trades Union Congress in each year since 2003 are not held centrally. Secondments are arranged locally by individuals and line managers and to gather this information would involve line managers trawling their records at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what legislation provides for the disability living allowance mobility component; what (a) statutory instruments, (b) departmental circulars and (c) other documents he (i) has issued and (ii) plans to issue in the next 12 months consequent on the provisions of that legislation; and if he will make a statement. [229500]

Jonathan Shaw: The disability living allowance mobility component is provided for primarily by the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (1992 c4)/Part III Non-contributory Benefits and the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) Regulations 1991, SI.1991/2890, as amended. The most easily accessible version of the amended legislation can be found on the internet at:

www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/docs/lawvols/bluevol/

Prior to, and since the introduction of disability living allowance in 1992, there have been numerous departmental communications to staff on the mobility component including guidance, information notes, memos and bulletins. Details of these communications are not centrally collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

There are currently no plans to amend the disability living allowance regulations in the next 12 months. It is not possible to say what circulars or other documents will be issued during this period.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people claiming (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance receive awards for an indefinite period, broken down by condition. [230089]

Jonathan Shaw: The available information is in the tables.

Disability living allowance cases in payment by main disabling condition: Indefinite awards Great Britain , February 2008
	Indefinite awards	Proportion of awards that are for an indefinite period (percentage)
Arthritis	474,300	86
Back Ailments	197,000	78
Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease	169,000	70
Blindness	58,900	86
Deafness	23,000	63
Heart Disease	132,800	87
Chest Disease	77,200	87
Stroke Related	87,700	83
Frailty	2,500	93
Epilepsy	33,200	48
Multiple Sclerosis	59,000	93
Parkinson's Disease	15,400	96
Diabetes Mellitus	28,900	53
Learning Difficulty	182,100	62
Mental Health Causes	211,300	43
Renal Disorders	7,300	59
AIDS	6,300	84
Skin Disease	4,300	29
Malignant Disease	40,100	57
Other	226,800	66

11 Nov 2008 : Column 1111W

Attendance allowance cases in payment by disabling condition: Indefinite awards Great Britain, February 2008
	Indefinite awards	Proportion of awards that are for an indefinite period (percentage)
Arthritis	474,000	99
Back Ailments	32,500	98
Muscle/Joint/Bone Disease	81,700	98
Blindness	53,200	100
Deafness	3,300	98
Heart Disease	125,700	99
Chest Disease	65,800	99
Stroke Related	99,200	98
Frailty	217,000	100
Epilepsy	4,100	99
Multiple Sclerosis	2,500	100
Parkinson's Disease	30,700	99
Diabetes Mellitus	29,700	99
Learning Difficulty	2,400	100
Mental Health Causes	133,100	99
Renal Disorders	4,700	93
AIDS	—	100
Skin Disease	1,000	95
Malignant Disease	25,900	92
Other	87,000	79
— = Nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used only as a guide. 3. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. 4. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 5. Where more than one disability is present the main disabling condition only is recorded. "Other" includes 25 medical conditions. 6. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to disability living allowance or attendance allowance. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes. 7. Although the preferred data source for benefit statistics is 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, the 5 per cent. sample data has been used in this case because it provides some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children under the age of 16 years in the London Borough of Redbridge have received the (a) (i) higher and (ii) lower level mobility component of disability living allowance and (b) (A) highest, (B) middle and (C) lowest level personal care component of disability living allowance in the last 12 months. [231869]

Jonathan Shaw: The available information is in the following table.

Numbers of recipients of disability living allowance in the London borough of Redbridge under the age of 16 by component: February 2008
	Number
Highest rate care and higher rate mobility	210
Highest rate care and lower rate mobility	120
Highest rate care only	120
Middle rate care and higher rate mobility	70
Middle rate care and lower rate mobility	300
Middle rate care only	220
Lowest rate care and higher rate mobility	—
Lowest rate care and lower rate mobility	—
Lowest rate care only	70
Higher rate mobility only	—
Lower rate mobility only	—
Notes: 1. ‘—’ = nil or negligible 2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. These figures are available on the DWP website at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance: Mentally Ill

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances someone with a mental health problem might receive the mobility component of disability living allowance. [233813]

11 Nov 2008 : Column 1112W

Jonathan Shaw: Entitlement to disability living allowance is not linked to particular disabling conditions, but is based on the extent to which a severely disabled person has personal care needs and/or walking difficulties as a result of their disability. People with a mental health problem are therefore able to claim the care component or mobility component of disability living allowance if they have such needs or difficulties.

The mobility component to disability living allowance is paid at one of two rates. Entitlement to the higher rate mobility component is broadly based on whether someone has a physical disablement which makes them unable or virtually unable to walk or is deemed to be treated as satisfying those conditions of entitlement. Entitlement to the lower rate mobility component is broadly based on whether someone requires guidance or supervision from another person when out of doors on unfamiliar routes. People with mental health problems are among the groups of disabled people who are likely to benefit from the lower rate mobility component.

Disability Living Allowance: Sight Impaired

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a visual impairment have applied for the (a) lower rate and (b) higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance in the last 12 months. [229461]

Jonathan Shaw: The information is not available. Claimants apply for disability living allowance using a single claim pack, rather than applying separately for specific components.

Elderly

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that elderly people take full advantage of the energy-saving schemes available to them. [232977]

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) funds the Warm Front scheme, which is the Government's main programme for tackling the problem of fuel poverty in the private sector in England. The scheme provides a grant for specified heating and insulation measures of up to £2,700, or up to £4,000 where the work approved includes installation of an oil fired central heating system. The scheme works alongside a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, National Energy Action and other charities to ensure that those eligible for assistance receive the help they are entitled to. The scheme has been designed with its vulnerable and often elderly client base firmly in mind, and ensures ease of use and trouble free access to the measures available.

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