Mr. and Mrs. Dan Brooks (Payments) (Hansard, 14 November 1966)

§ 45. Sir C. Taylor
asked the Minister of Social Security why the National Assistance Board agreed to pay bed and breakfast bills of up to £31 a week to Mr. and Mrs. Dan Brooks, of no fixed address, in August, 1966;and whether this was an isolated instance or is common practice.

§ Mr. Pentland
The weekly amount of the payments, which were made in June and July, was much less than £31. This was an unusual case calling for special treatment.

§ Sir C. Taylor
Can the hon. Gentleman say why it was that a solicitor in a magistrates' court said that they had been paid £31 during the week while they moved from boarding house to boarding house? Why was that done and, if the amount is disputed, how much was paid?

§ Mr. Pentland
As I say, that was inaccurate.

Hon. Members
How much was it?

§ Mr. Pentland
I am going to give the accurate figures now. The true facts are these. In the week in question, £24 1s. 6d. was paid, but that was to cover needs for 10 days, not a week. In the seven-week period, a total of £110 2s. 6d. was paid, including lump sum exceptional needs grants totalling £6 8s. 6d., and one of those was for fares to visit the couple's daughter in a local authority home. The average weekly payment for their ordinary needs was, therefore, £14 14s. The alleged payment of £9 5s. 6d. which was also made was actually £1 18s. 6d. As I have said, it was an unusual case. If the hon. Gentleman would like a full explanation of the case, I will gladly write to him.

§ Mr. Freeson
Would my hon. Friend not agree that it is quite appalling for a Member of this House to bring out this kind of confidential information by way of Question and Answer instead of dealing with it by correspondence—[Interruption.]

§ Sir C. Taylor
On that point of order, Mr. Speaker—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. It is not a point of order. It is a point of criticism.

§ Sir C. Taylor
On that criticism, may I draw the attention of the hon. Gentleman to the fact that I am merely quoting from a report in the Daily Telegraph of 26th August, which has not been disputed by the National Assistance Board?

§ Mr. Sydney Silverman
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it not an old rule of the House that an hon. Member who asks a Question of a Minister himself takes responsibility for the facts?

§ Mr. Speaker
That is an accurate statement of the rule. The hon. Gentleman did, however, accept responsibility.