§ 25. Mr. Owenasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many people in the towns of Ashington, Morpeth, Lynemouth, and Pegswood are in receipt of National Assistance; and how many have received an extra grant to meet an increase in rents.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI am informed by the National Assistance Board that separate figures are not available for the four towns mentioned, which are only part of the area served by the Board's office in Ashington. In the whole of that area, 3,709 weekly assistance grants were current at the end of May. It is not possible to say how many recipients of assistance have had their grants increased in recent years to provide for an increase in rent. Some of the local authorities in the area have increased rents on more than one occasion, and the figures available do not show how many different householders have been affected.