HC Deb 10 January 1978 vol 941 cc1423-4
7. Mrs. Knight

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the procedure for the purchase of furniture for needy cases has been altered so that his Department buys those goods and subsequently sends a cheque to the receiver, who is then expected to pay the shop; and whether this change is regional or general.

Mr. Deakins

There has been no change in procedure. Standard practice is to ask the claimant himself to find suitable furniture, usually second-hand, and for the local office to make payment by sending to the claimant a Girocheque made payable to the supplier. Where, however, the furniture is needed urgently, it can be ordered by the local office direct from a suitable supplier, but the supplier is paid in the usual way through the claimant.

Mrs. Knight

I assure the Minister that I have been informed that there have been alterations, certainly in the Birmingham area, where the recipient is allocated fur- niture that has been bought and is then sent the cheque to pay. If any suggestions are advanced for such a system, will he resist them strongly, because it is not only a bureaucratic system but one that can result in more expensive purchases and unpaid bills?

Mr. Deakins

The particular case which the hon. Lady may have in mind, and which perhaps caused her to table her Question, is one in which the correct procedures were observed. Local office staff followed the correct procedures in the case, which I think was the one mentioned in the Birmingham Post on 6th December last year. The wife's confinement was expected in a week, and the local supplier who could supply the item at once was contacted direct. The sum granted for bedding was taken from the Commission's national price list for bedding, and the total grant was lower than what would otherwise have been paid if a new cot had been ordered, as it could have been. I agree with the hon. Lady about bureaucracy. One of the reasons for urgent action in this case was that, although the staff might have been able to find a cheaper item, it would have taken up far more staff time.

Mrs. Kellett-Bowman

Is it possible for somebody moving into, for example, local authority housing for the first time to purchase second-hand furniture in reasonable condition and send the bill to and have the cost reimbursed by the social services?

Mr. Deakins

That should normally be done. If the person is a supplementary benefit beneficiary or in receipt of social security benefits, the appropriate procedure is for him to contact his local office first, because he will know some time in advance, presumably, if he is to be moved into local authority housing. Local authorities normally give notice of that. Certainly the social services, or the person concerned, should be in touch with the local social security office to make sure that the appropriate payments and costs are agreed in advance.