§ 22. Mr. Robert Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to amend the Family Income Supplement Act so that families which are solely dependent on State grants during periods of training are eligible to claim the supplement.
§ Mr. DeanNo, Sir. The purpose of the family income supplements scheme is to assist people with low incomes who are bringing up families on their earnings from full-time work. The scheme is not designed to provide additional benefit for persons already receiving grants from public funds.
§ 47. Dame Irene Wardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, 55W in the proposed new proposals for assisting retirement pensioners, he will consider a special heating allowance.
§ Mr. DeanAs my hon. Friend knows, the supplementary benefits scheme already makes provision for the special heating expenses of pensioners and other beneficiaries. This provision was improved last month. All retirement and supplementary pensioners will benefit this winter from the payments of £10—£20 for a married couple—announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 6th November.—[Vol. 845, c. 626.]
§ 49. Mr. John D. Grantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now take urgent action over heating for pensioners in the coming winter in line with the recommendations made in the Task Force circular, dated 30th October, of which he has been sent a copy.
§ Sir K. JosephWhile I respect the good will and efforts of Task Force and other voluntary bodies, I do not consider the recommendations on supplementary benefit matters to be acceptable. The supplementary benefit provisions in general and for heating were improved last month and all supplementary pensioners will benefit this winter from the payments of £10—£20 for a married couple—announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 6th November. As regards the recommendations on environmental matters, I am consulting my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.—[Vol. 845, c. 626.]
§ 50. Mr. Alec Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men unemployed for one year or more in the United Kingdom have been refused supplementary benefits.
§ Mr. DeanIt is estimated that in August, 1972, between 35,000 and 40,000 men in Great Britain who had been registered as unemployed for more than a year were not receiving supplementary benefit. A substantial proportion of these were occupational pensioners.
§ 56. Mr. Wyn Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will adjust the level of disregarded income 56W in connection with the Supplementary Benefits Scheme.
§ Mr. DeanWe intend to review the disregard levels at an appropriate time, but I cannot yet say when that will be.
§ 64. Mr. Willeyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of persons in receipt of constant attendance allowances under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, 1970, at the latest available date and the number of them who have failed to qualify because they did not satisfy the medical requirements.
§ Sir K. JosephOn 6th October, 1972, the latest date for which figures are available, about 82,000 people were drawing an attendance allowance under the provisions of the National Insurance Acts. From June, 1971, when claims were first invited, to October, 1972, some 63,000 people claimed the allowance but failed to satisfy the medical requirements for it.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give details of the amounts of supplementary benefits, unemployment benefits and welfare grants paid to an individual, details of which have been supplied to him, for the periods January to March, 1968, August to September, 1969, October to November, 1969, and November, 1971, to October, 1972; and whether, at all relevant periods, his national insurance cards were fully paid.
§ Mr. DeanI have written to the hon. Member explaining that I cannot disclose this confidential information. This is because all information obtained by my Department in its dealings with claimants for social security benefits or contributors to national insurance is strictly confidential and cannot be disclosed without the consent of the individual concerned.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received the communication from Mr. K. P. Colanville, of 27th October, 1972; and whether he will arrange to give this man a grant of £41 and increase his pension to £24.40 per week.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as much detailed information as may be available giving the number of retirement pensioners in receipt of sick and unemployment benefit, with or without supplementary benefits, who were, on 23rd October, in receipt of payments of £28.40 per week; and whether, in these cases, rent allowances were additionally paid.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, together with a letter from a widow with three children living on £14.75 per week claiming for £28.40; and what action he proposes to take to grant this sum to this woman.
§ Mr. DeanYes. I have arranged for inquiries into the family's circumstances to be made. As I explained to the hon. Member in a reply on 7th November to a similar request, payments of supplementary benefit depend on the widely varying requirements and resources of individual claimants.—[Vol. 845, c.113–4.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take action, before the end of the calendar year, to ensure that all retired couples, married persons on sickness and unemployment benefits are able to claim a minimum of £28.40 per week and rent allowance, and that such payments will be guaranteed until March, 1973, by issuing order books in advance for this purpose.
§ Mr. DeanNo. The entitlement of retired couples and those receiving sickness or unemployment benefit depends on their individual circumstances on the basis of scales approved by Parliament.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the total amount paid to date on each of the new benefits, such as family income supplement and constant attendance allowance, since their introduction.
58W
§ Sir K. JosephThe estimated amounts paid from the date on which the benefit commenced to the end of October, 1972, are as follows:
Benefit Total paid £ million Old persons pension 43 Age addition for all pensioners over age 80 18 Pensions for younger widows 23 Invalidity benefit* 26 Family income supplement 10 Attendance allowance 19 Total 139 * Extra cost over sickness benefit, which it replaced.