§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on the conditions under which councillors can claim attendance money for council meetings while also drawing sickness benefit;
(2) how much councillors attending council meetings are allowed to claim for such attendance before it affects their sickness benefit claims.
§ Mr. OrmeSickness benefit is payable only where the claimant is incapable of work because of specific disease or bodily or mental disablement. If a claimant does work on a particular day, he cannot be treated as incapable of work on that day, but if he does work under medical super462W vision as part of his treatment while he is a patient in or of a hospital, or work which he has good cause for doing—normally interpreted as being on the advice of his own doctor—he may earn up to £10 a week net.
The independent authorities who decide claims to sickness benefit may accept that attendance at a council meeting is permitted, provided that incapacity for work continues; the claimant's doctor gives prior approval; and that earnings are not more than £10 a week.
§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much councillors are allowed to claim for attending council meetings without their unemployment benefit being affected.
§ Mr. OrmeThe allowance payable to councillors for attending council meetings is regarded as "earnings" by the independent adjudicating authorities who decide claims to benefit. Consequently, a councillor cannot receive unemployment benefit for any day in respect of which such an allowance is payable unless the allowance does not exceed 75p and certain other conditions are met.