§ Lord STRATHCONA and MOUNT ROYALMy 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 where is the budget allocation and what is the accounting procedure for the £25.30 million to be reimbursed by the Department of Energy to electricity boards in respect of discount vouchers they have accepted in part payment of pensioners' bills.
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, provision for the financial year 1976–77 was made in the Supplementary Estimates presented in December and February, and further provision has been made in the Estimates for the current financial year published on 29th March. The Departments are paying to the electricity boards and the Post Office the value of electricity discount vouchers which they accept from consumers. The actual expenditure will be accounted for in the Appropriation Accounts for the years concerned.
§ Lord STRATHCONA and MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, in thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask him two questions: First, who decides who is eligible to receive these vouchers? Secondly, is there not a danger that the Department of Energy is being asked to exercise a function which is more appropriate to one of the Departments of social service?
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, the scheme is restricted to those on supplementary benefit or family income supplement, and it is administered by the 268 Departments. Because the scheme is restricted to certain users of electricity it is considered administratively more convenient for the Department of Energy and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Departments to handle the scheme with the co-operation of the electricity industry.
§ Baroness MACLEOD of BORVEMy Lords, can the noble Lord, Lord Strabolgi, tell me how many people received these vouchers during the period about which the noble Lord is talking?
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, up to and including 31st March, about 500,000 households received these vouchers.