§ 6. Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in which years during the 1980s the uprating of supplementary benefit or income support rates provided for an increase in their real value; and by what percentage.
§ Mr. ScottThese benefit levels have been uprated every year to take account of forecast or actual movements in the appropriate index. In a number of years there has also been specific extra help for special groups such as pensioners, disabled people and families with children.
§ Mr. BattleWe are beginning to view with deep suspicion the statistics that the Government give us. Will the Minister recommend that all Conservative Members read the Select Committee on Social Services' report on low-income statistics before repeating the false claim that the poor are better off under this Government? Is not it a fact that the real value of income support fell by 3.7 per cent. between 1981 and 1989? How would the Minister respond to my constituents who spell out the fact that their income is £84.99 a week on benefit and their outgoings on basic essentials are £91.84, so there is a shortfall of £6.85 every week? How would Conservative Members manage on such an income for at least a year?
§ Mr. ScottWe are studying the Select Committee report. We note that the Select Committee has said that it wants further work to be done on the pattern of statistics and the way in which they are provided and to increase both in scope and depth the figures provided by the Government on these matters. We shall take account of those recommendations as we consider the report.
I repeat that the benefits are uprated year by year by the appropriate index. In addition, we have found the money to provide extra help for low income families, for older and disabled pensioners and for families with children.