§ 42. Mr. Ridleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to increase substantially the capital disregard for supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. OrmeIt would be inappropriate to make such a change in advance of the current review of the supplementary benefit scheme.
§ Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the amount of money which is disregarded in calculating supplementary benefits paid to people over pension age was increased to £1; and what is its present day value.
§ Mr. OrmeThe amount of occupational pension that is disregarded in assessing supplementary benefit was fixed at £1 in 1966. Its present-day value would be 32p. It was deliberately left at £1 when other disregards were reviewed in 1975 because it was no longer considered appropriate that the increasing number of occupational pensions should attract a substantial disregard when State pensions were taken fully into account in assessing entitlement to supplementary benefits.