HC Deb 29 April 1975 vol 891 cc212-4
3. Mr. Skinner

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she is satisfied with the payment of DHSS benefits in respect of the operation of qualifying days.

The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Mr. Brian O'Malley)

If my hon. Friend has any particular aspects of the system in mind, I shall be pleased to consider his view.

Mr. Skinner

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of his Department's local officers have what are known as signing-on days? In practice this means that workers falling sick or becoming injured on any day other than a signing-on day can, and in many cases do, lose benefit as a result. Will he today ensure that a directive is sent out to all those local officers, particularly in my constituency but in other constituencies too, to ensure that people in this predicament, and, indeed, all those claiming social security benefits of all descriptions, do not lose money as a result of this practice?

Mr. O'Malley

My hon. Friend has written to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on this general matter and also on a specific constituency case. I am now considering any general implications arising from his letter and from his supplementary question. It is vitally important that there should be equity as between one claimant and another within the rules and administration of the Supplementary Benefits Scheme.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Will the right hon. Gentleman be cautious in considering the views expressed by the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on any subject, particularly this one? Will he instead turn to the problem of abuse of sickness benefit? Is he aware of the extraordinary figures of the growth in the number of claims for sickness benefit over recent years, and has he seen the recent figures which showed apparently unaccountable differences in the levels of claims for sickness benefits as between different regions? Will he institute a study of the method by which sickness benefit is now operated and the extent to which abuse is growing within the system?

Mr. O'Malley

I would treat with far more reserve any proposition put to me by the hon. Member than by my hon. Friend. Before the hon. Gentleman pursues further the question he has raised, it would be sensible for him to consider the detailed comments in the recent publication of the figures showing the pattern and development of sickness benefit claims. There is a whole range of factors to be taken into account, and I think he would accept that it is extremely difficult to come to any firm conclusions on the figures. Nevertheless, what the figures certainly do not demonstrate is that there has been any extension of unsound claims for sickness benefit in recent years, under either administration.