HC Deb 17 July 1973 vol 860 cc230-1
1. Mr. Sydney Chapman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the administration and publicity designed to ensure that elderly persons entitled to benefits receive them.

16. Mr. Duffy

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the distribution and display of posters and leaflets concerning health and welfare benefits, especially as they affect senior citizens.

The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mr. Paul Dean)

I am satisfied that the staff administering old people's benefits are doing a good job in coping with the demands made upon them. The Department's extensive publicity programme is under constant review, and, in particular, the unique task of distributing 120 million leaflets a year. Steps are being taken to improve this.

Mr. Chapman

I appreciate what has been done, but does my hon. Friend recognise that many people who need help are not receiving the benefits which are their right? Will he seriously consider the possibility of ensuring that every dwelling unit in every road, street and lane throughout the land is visited by people offering voluntarily to do so? I am thinking of people such as housewives and students who would consider such visiting a labour of love. These people could ensure that where advertisements miss out the personal contact will succeed.

Mr. Dean

I thank my hon. Friend for the valuable suggestion he has made. I am sure that voluntary effort is doing much and can do more to ensure that those who are entitled to benefits receive them. I hesitate to take on lock, stock and barrel the very large task which my hon. Friend suggests. I suspect that a great deal of the effort would be spent on families which do not really need a visit.

Mr. Duffy

Is the Minister aware that a persistent source of information and authority, as they see it, cited by old people querying benefits and entitlement is other old people and not the Department and its many agencies? How is he to overcome this communications gap? Will he concentrate many of the leaflets issued by his Department at places where old people congregate?

Mr. Dean

We are constantly trying to improve our arrangements for the supply of leaflets in places such as post offices and social security offices. We are also co-operating much more closely with local authorities and social service departments to try to ensure that the visits which are made by the social service departments are effectively co-ordinated.

Mr. O'Malley

How can the Minister be satisfied with the present situation when the most recent available survey estimates that over half a million retirement pensioners due to receive supplementary benefit are not receiving it and when the take-up of other means-tested benefits is often very low? Is not the best way of dealing with this difficult problem to provide retirement pensions which are big enough for all citizens to live on without the need for means testing?

Mr. Dean

The hon. Gentleman knows very well that we improved substantially the retirement pension so that those on supplementary benefit would not need it. Those most in need would gain no benefit from the vast additional expense which the hon. Gentleman's last point would involve. I hope he is not saying that the Opposition are in favour of that.