AQW 699/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 27/05/2022
Answered On Date: 09/06/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities whether her Department has any plans to review and improve benefits assessors' knowledge and understanding of children with Down Syndrome.

Answer:

Decision Makers within Disability and Carers Service are extensively trained on the eligibility criteria for Disability Living Allowance and how to apply it when deciding claims. They also have access to online guidance, developed by leading medical experts, which provides the most up to date information on medical conditions, including Down’s Syndrome and the likely effects it would have on a person’s care and mobility needs. Health Professionals are also available to provide a daily advice service to Disability Living Allowance Decision Makers.

In addition, senior officials from Disability and Carers Service met with the campaign group ‘Families with Ups and Downs’ in December 2021 to hear first-hand and address any concerns they had in relation to the administration of Disability Living Allowance.

My Officials are consistently striving to improve their knowledge and understanding of all aspects of their work and opportunities for improvement are always kept under review.