Heating Allowance (Hansard, 12 December 1972)

§ 6. Mr. Meacher
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the present arrangements for granting heating allowances to supplementary benefit recipients; and if he will make a statement.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mr. Paul Dean)
Yes, Sir. The Supplementary Benefits Commission has recently increased by 20 per cent. the amounts of discretionary addition to supplementary benefit for exceptional heating needs.

§ Mr. Meacher
Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that the present system of allocating heating allowances is absurd, because only 2 per cent. of the old people get them, because the administrative costs are 1½ times greater than the value of the allowances in the first year, and because the latest Task Force report shows that the Department normally refuses applications even in the most needy cases? Since the same report indicates that one-quarter of the pensioners are too cold to sleep or to live comfortably, will the hon. Gentleman make heating allowances automatic for supplementary pensioners?

§ Mr. Dean
No less than 194,000 people are benefiting from this special additional allowance, and this is over and above two increases in the supplementary benefits scale rates which have taken 214 place in the last 13 months and the £10 lump sum payment which the majority of supplementary pensioners will have received last week.

§ Mr. Sydney Chapman
Will my right hon. Friend consider convening a conference of representatives of the area gas and electricity boards, coal utilisation councils and the local authorities, with a view to certain bills being paid for as a supplement through the weekly housing rent, where appropriate?

§ Mr. Dean
As my hon. Friend probably knows, this does happen in some cases now, but I should like to have a word with him on another occasion on the more detailed point that he has raised.

§ Mr. O'Malley
On the hon. Gentleman's own figures—which are virtually no better than they were 12 months ago—is it not the case that only two out of every 100 retirement pensioners receive any heating allowance, and that even when they do the allowance is very small, although it has been increased marginally? Over 12 months ago, at the end of November 1971, the Under-Secretary was asked from the Opposition benches whether he would conduct a full review of the possibility of automatic heating allowances. Was any such review carried out? If so, what conclusions did the right hon. Gentleman reach?

§ Mr. Dean
I am sure that the hon. Gentleman realises that on the figures that he has given, 10 per cent. of supplementary pensioners are benefiting from the allowance, and the amount of the allowance has been increased. The allowances are on top of the increases in the scale rate, from which all supplementary pensioners and those on supplementary allowances have benefited twice during the past 13 months.

§ 18. Mr. John D. Grant
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he will take arising from the further Task Force report entitled "Left in the Cold—Final Evidence of the Suffering of Pensioners in Cold Weather", of which he has received a copy.

§ Sir K. Joseph
I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of 14th November.—[Vol. 846, c. 55.]

§ Mr. Grant
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he and his colleagues have already waffled sufficiently on this subject to my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, East (Mr. James Lamond)? Would he now be good enough to cut the cackle and say whether, in the light of this report—which might well have been called "Freedom to Freeze"—and the lack of progress since the last report from the Task Force, entitled "The Old and Cold in Islington", he is satisfied that he is taking all the steps he can to avoid the risk of old people dying from cold this winter?

§ Sir K. Joseph
I am very discontented about the ability of any Government quickly to reach all those entitled to benefits. The danger of any wholesale advertising, which I and my colleagues have carefully considered, is that we shall arouse expectations which we shall then disappoint. The scale rates already provide for normal heating. There is the long-term addition, if not needed for other priority purposes, and, for those who need the extra heating help, and apply for it, there are extra heating allowances; 10 per cent. of all supplementary pensioners receive this. I hope that the effort the Government have launched with local authorities and voluntary bodies will succeed this winter in identifying more people who are entitled to receive benefit.

§ Mr. O'Malley
In view of the Secreof State's discontent on this subject—which we share—will he, during the Christmas Recess, examine the possibility of an automatic heating allowance for all retirement pensioners on supplementary benefit and let us know the result of his consideration in a statement when the House resumes after Christmas?

§ Sir K. Joseph
The problem is that the scale rates include a provision for heating. If heating were taken outside the scale rates there would have to be an adjustment of the scale rates, and I can tell the House now that I do not think that that is practicable.