To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much attendance allowance has been withheld from pensioners in self-funded care homes in Scotland since the introduction of free personal care in Scotland. [122293]

Since 1 July 2002, 1,793 care home residents in Scotland have lost their entitlement to attendance allowance because their personal care costs are met by their local authority under the "free personal care" arrangements made by the Scottish Executive. The loss of entitlement to attendance allowance in these circumstances follows the normal social security benefit rules to prevent duplicate provision from public funds for the same purpose (following the same principle, receipt of free nursing care, irrespective of the setting in which it is provided, does not affect the payment of attendance allowance). Information is not routinely collected about the precise period covered by the loss of entitlement to payments in individual cases, or about the weekly amount paid before that loss of entitlement, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.