§ 2.40 p.m.
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Appendix XXI on page 82 of the Report of the National Assistance Board for the year ended December 31, 1964 (Cmnd. 2674) (showing the average amount of discretionary additions based on a 1¼ per cent. sample) relates to a particular month or is an average over the year.]
§ LORD BOWLESMy Lords, the Appendix in the Report of the National Assistance Board for 1964 to which the noble Lord's Question refers relates to a particular month, that of December, 1964. I would draw the noble Lord's attention to page 28 of the Report itself, to which Appendix XXI relates.
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, if that is so, I wonder whether the noble Lord could say why Tables XVIII, XVIV, XX and XXII all say they relate to the month of December, while Table XXI does not. Nor does the text of the Report at page 28 make any reference to the month of December. I should also like to ask whether it is not misleading to publish in an annual report an average figure, on 853 which the addition of 9s. of the Ministry of Social Security Bill is based, which relates just to one month, which we are now told is atypical?
§ LORD BOWLESThere was a misprint or omission in the 1964 Report. As regards the question, it is slightly misleading, but if I may put the answer another way, the average discretionary provision in December, 1965, as will be published very soon, was 10s. a week, but that figure included provision for extra fuel during the winter months only. Because these fuel allowances are paid only from November to April and form a very substantial proportion of all discretionary allowances, the average discretionary allowance taken over the whole year is not 10s. but only 9s. Perhaps I may illustrate this by an example. A person with a winter fuel allowance of 5s. and, say, a laundry allowance of another 5s. would in December, 1965, have been getting 10s., the average amount at that time; but in the other six months of the year he would only be getting 5s., so the average allowance over the year would be 7s. 6d. The long-term addition of 9s. which is allowed throughout the year would, therefore, taken over the whole year, exceed the existing discretionary allowances in his case.
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, does the noble Lord not agree that the figures, for whatever period, whether a month or a year, are increasing? In the report of the National Assistance Board for 1963 the average discretionary payment was 8s. 10d.; for 1964 it was 9s. 6d. So there is a trend upwards. Would the noble Lord not agree that it would be far better if this House were able to consider more up-to-date figures than those contained in the 1964 Report? Here we are debating the reorganisation of a very considerable part of the social services in the public sector, and the figures are fifteen months out of date. Is there not a trend upwards which may mean that this new supplement of 9s. will be too low and additional discretionary payments will be needed?
§ LORD BOWLESI did say that the 1965 Report will be out in a very few weeks.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, is it not a fact that under 854 previous Governments the same complaint has been made from the Opposition, and Conservative Governments have never been able to produce these Reports any earlier than this Government have been able to?
§ LORD BOWLESI agree with my noble friend.