The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Vivien Hopkins:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Gateshead and Sunderland include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the (a) highest rate, (b) middle rate and (c) lowest rate.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service. In his absence, I am replying.
The information available is in the following table:
Rate Local authority All Highest Middle Lowest Gateshead 680 190 340 150 Sunderland 1,080 320 580 180 Notes: 1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. Where the claimant is eligible for both care and mobility components, the disabling condition associated with the mobility component is shown here Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. 4. The number of claimants does not equate to the number of households as there may be more than one person in a household with learning difficulties claiming DLA. 5. Figures exclude cases where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 6. Rate of care component refers to rate in payment Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.