asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether, in the light of representations made by the hon. Member for Wokingham, she will amend Form BF111P to make it clear that in no circumstances can a claim for sickness benefit on behalf of dependants be made later than six months from the start of the illness, however good the cause of the delay.

All the relevant forms and particularly the medical certificate on which a claim is first made contain a clear warning about the need to claim promptly. Mention of the overall six months' time limit without detailed qualification could be very misleading. The matter will, however, be kept under review.