§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the wide range of benefits currently paid to young people past the statutory school leaving age, depending on whether they are at school full time, at school for up to three days a week, on one of the many schemes set up by the Manpower Services Commission, at college or university, or on the dole.
§ Mr. OrmeThe Manpower Services Commission's schemes are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment. Educational support is for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Science and for Scotland.
For young people aged under 19 and still in full-time non-advanced education, the main social security benefit is child benefit, paid to the parents.
Young people in the employment field qualify for unemployment benefit and sickness benefit if they can meet the requisite contribution and other conditions.
Supplementary benefit is payable to:
- (a) unemployed young people who have completed their formal education, including some attending further education establishments for not more than 21 hours a week while waiting for work to become available;
- (b) students on advanced courses—normally only if unemployed during the long summer vacation; and
- (c) certain students—whether at school, college or university—in genuinely exceptional circumstances—for example orphans or heads of single-parent families.
Other benefits available to young people are:
attendance allowance and mobility allowance for the severely handicapped, whether still undergoing education or not;non-contributory invalidity pension for the long-term sick and disabled, not in full-time education, for whom their parents are not receiving child benefit.