88. Mr. Silvermanasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the total amount paid out in the Nelson and Colne constituency by the National Assistance Board in supplementation of old-age pensions for the last week in December, 1957, and December, 1958, respectively.
§ Miss PittThe National Assistance Board informs me that information about total expenditure is not available for particular localities.
89. Mr. Silvermanasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many persons in the Nelson and Colne constituency were in receipt of supplementary allowances from the National Assistance Board on 31st December, 1957, and 31st December, 1958, respectively.
§ Miss PittI am informed by the National Assistance Board that in the area served by the Board's office in Colne, which extends a little outside the constituency of Nelson and Colne, the number of weekly National Assistance grants, both in supplementation of National Insurance benefits and otherwise, was 2,534 on 17th December, 1957, and 2,341 on 16th December, 1958.
§ Mr. Lewisasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will give the average number of persons in receipt of National Assistance for the six months ended June, 1957, and December, 1958, and the average amounts of money paid for these periods; and what percentage of these payments in each instance represents payments towards rent.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI am informed by the National Assistance Board that the averages of the numbers of weekly National Assistance grants at the dates of monthly counts in the two six-month periods ending June, 1957, and December, 1958, are respectively 1,685,000 and 1,617,000, and that the average weekly grant about the end of 1957 was 25s. 8d. and about the end of 1958 27s. 9d. As I have previously explained to the hon. Member, it is not possible to give a figure representing the proportion of an assistance grant which is attributable to rent.
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§ Mr. Lewisasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the latest estimate of persons receiving National Assistance towards the payment of their rents; the total amount of such payment; and how these figures compare with a stated period prior to the introduction of the Rent Act.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI am informed by the National Assistance Board that the number of recipients of weekly National Assistance grants who were householders with outgoings for rent, etc., taken into account in the assessment of the grants is estimated to have been about 1¼ million in December last. As I have already explained to the hon. Member, there are no such figures as those asked for in the later parts of the Question: in all appropriate cases the Board allows for rent in deciding how much assistance is to be paid, but resources and other factors have also to be taken into account and because of these the amount of Assistance paid is often less than the amount allowed for rent in arriving at it.