To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will review the application form for disability living allowance with a view to making it shorter and less complicated.

The form has been carefully designed to be both clear to the applicant and to allow applicants to explain fully the limitations on their abilities. It will, however, be kept under review to enable improvements to be identified and made as and when necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what consultation took place with general medical practitioners or welfare advice groups during the preparation of the application forms for the disability living allowance;(2) what evaluations or tests of the application forms for disability living allowance were made prior to their publication.

Extensive consultation was carried out in Great Britain and Northern Ireland before the final version of the disability living allowance application form was determined. This included consultation with the British Medical Association and various disability and welfare groups and the testing of draft forms with disabled people. The resulting form has been specifically designed for completion by disabled people, with clear layout and large print.