§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will increase supplementary benefit allowances during school holidays to compensate qualifying families for the loss of school meals which are provided free during school terms.
§ Mr. Newton:I have no plans to do so.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the notional element for fuel in the national assistance-supplementary benefit scale rates at each uprating from 1948.
§ Mr. Newton:There is no notional element for fuel in the supplementary benefit scale rates. People who receive supplementary benefit are expected to spend their income as they consider appropriate. Certain standard figures were however used by the Supplementary Benefits Commission for calculating benefit entitlement in cases where the claimant pays for some or all of his fuel inclusively with his rent. Similar standard figures were incorporated into the regulations made following the Social Security Act 1980. The figures are as follows:
Date Heating Hot Water Light and Cooking £ p Heating and Hot Water only £ p Heating Only £ p Cooking Only £ p Light Only £ p November 1970 1.15 1. – – – – – – October 1972 1.35 1. – – – – – – July 1974 1.80 1.60 – – – – – – November 1975 2.50 2.20 – – 0.20 0.10 November 1976 3.20 2.80 – – 0.30 0.10 November 1977 3.70 3.20 – – 0.35 0.15 November 1978 3.90 3.40 – – 0.35 0.15 November 1979 4.40 3.80 3.40 0.40 0.20 November 1980 5.70 4.85 4.35 0.50 0.35 November 1981 6.70 5.70 5.10 0.60 0.40 November 1982 7.35 6.25 5.60 0.65 0.45 Prior to November 1970 amounts were determined locally.
§ Sir Brandon Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number of supplementary benefit claimants of working age on whose behalf mortgage interest is being paid by his Department; and if he will publish similar figures indicating the trend since 1972, showing the number of mortgagees receiving supplementary benefit as a percentage of all supplementary benefit claimants.
§ Mr. Newton:In December 1981 the number of householders of working age whose supplementary benefit requirements included mortgage interest in their assessment was 143,000. The following table shows similar information for claimants of working age and all supplementary benefits, with percentages, for the years 1972–1981.
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Cases with mortagage interest included in assessment Great Britain (Thousands) Cases of working age with mortgage interest All cases with mortgage interest All cases of working age All supplementary benefit cases Per cent.col. (1) of col. (3) Per cent.col. (2) ofcol. (4) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) 1972 42 95 1,002 2,911 4.2 3.3 1973 29 82 831 2,675 3.5 3.1 1974 37 84 872 2,680 4.2 3.1 1975 56 98 1,113 2,793 5.0 3.5 1976 67 123 1,274 2,960 5.3 4.1 1977 73 124 1,253 2,991 5.8 4.2 1978 59 105 1,195 2,932 5.0 3.6 1979 52 98 1,132 2,855 4.6 3.4 1980 84 134 1,423 3,118 5.9 4.3 1981 143 196 1,985 3,723 7.2 5.3 Source:Annual statistical inquiry.