§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, since the introduction of the code of practice governing the payment of domestic gas and electricity bills, how many arrangements for direct deduction from supplementary benefit towards the cost of future gas and electric bills following fuel arrears, have been made in the case of domestic electricity bills and domestic gas bills, respectively; and what were the comparable figures for each year from 1972 until the introduction of the code of practice.
§ Mr. OrmeI regret that the only available information is that in December 1975 there were 36,000 cases with a deduction in respect of fuel cost. Comparable information for 1976 is not available, because of industrial action at the time in local offices of the Department of Employment.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many direct deductions towards future gas and electricity bills, respectively, are, at the present time, at the following levels: £1 to £2.50, £2.50 to £5, £5 to £7.50, £7.50 to £10 and £10 or more;
(2) what was the average value of direct deductions towards future gas and 109W electricity bills, respectively, each year from 1972 until the present time.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many exceptional needs payments for domestic gas and electricity bills, respectively, have been paid annually since 1972 until the present time; and what was the average value each year.
§ Mr. OrmeInformation is not available in the form requested. Some information on exceptional needs payments for fuel is, however, given in Table 7.4 of the Supplementary Benefits Commission's annual report for 1976 (Cmnd. 6910).