§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will elucidate his statement of 28th January with regard to the treatment of child benefit for the purposes of free welfare milk and vitamins; and, in particular, whether the discretionary powers to which he refers will be used to protect new claimants as well as existing claimants of free welfare milk and vitamins.
50W
§ Mr. OrmeFamilies who are receiving free milk and vitamins on grounds of low income will not lose entitlement to them, when the child benefit scheme is introduced next April, if the net increase in their income, as a result of receiving child benefit, is less than the value of the free milk and vitamins. This concession will be applied to all the existing beneficiaries as their entitlement comes up for review throughout the 12 months beginning on 4th April 1977 but only to them. In other cases child benefit will be treated exactly like other income for the purpose of assessing entitlement.