§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will arrange for circular LAC 513W (80)5, dated 9 October to be republished clarifying in paragraph 16 (i) whether the £2,000 capital disregard is personal t: the claimant only, as the circular says, or is in fact a joint disregard embracing the capital of both claimant and spouse.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinI have no plan to re-issue circular LAC (80)5 which was issued to give social workers a summary of the changes in the supplementary benefits scheme taking place in November. It was not intended as a comprehensive statement of the law. The introduction to the circular directs readers to the supplementary benefits handbook, which contains a detailed description of the provisions of the scheme. Copies of the handbook were sent to all directors of social services and all hon. Members. The handbook makes it clear that the regulations provide that a claimant's resources include those of other members of the assessment unit and that the £2,000 capital disregard relates to the total capital of the assessment unit.