§ Q22. Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Prime Minister if the Government have any plans to impose any new conditions in connection with drawing supplementary benefit upon young people aged 16 to 19 years who are unemployed.
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services recently invited the Social Security Advisory Committee to consider two sets of amending regulations concerning supplementary benefit. These include provisions with a bearing on the benefit entitlement of people in this age group. For the68W most part the amendments will clarify existing provisions, but he has proposed a regulation to change the "21 hour rule" governing the benefit position of unemployed people who undertake part-time courses of education or training. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security announced details of the Government's intentions in reply to a question on 10 May from my hon. Friend the Member for Ripon (Dr. Hampson).
Proposals for withdrawing supplementary benefit entitlement from 16-year-old school leavers were set out in the December 1981 White Paper, "A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action" (Cmnd. 8455).