§ 13. Mr. Liptonasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many weekly assistance grants have been supplemented to provide for increases under the Rent Act; and what is the average amount of these supplements.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI am informed by the National Assistance Board that information is not available beyond what has been published on pages 14 and 15 of the Board's Annual Report for 1958, which I presented to Parliament last June and to which I would refer the hon. Member.
§ Mr. LiptonWould it be reasonable to assume that in at least one-third of the 778 cases referred to this extra weekly rent supplement is in issue all the year round? Does not this mean that about £25,000 to £30,000 a week is being paid from National Assistance Board funds as a direct result of the Rent Act?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIf the hon. Gentleman studies the Board's Report, I do not think that he will possibly be able to come to that conclusion.