§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were receiving supplementary benefit at his Department's offices in Stoke on Trent in May 1979, June 1983 and in the last month for which figures are available; what has been the percentage change in each of these periods; and if he will give separate figures for the different categories of persons receiving supplementary benefit.
§ Dr. BoysonFigures for June 1983 are not available. The total numbers of supplementary benefit cases in action at the Stoke-on-Trent local offices, and the percentage changes for May 1979 and August 1983, the latest available period, were as follows: 619W
May 1979 (thousands) August 1983 (thousands) Change (per cent.) Local Office 1. Stoke-on-Trent, North (a) Supplementary Pension 7.3 7.0 -4 (b) Supplementary Allowance 2.5 4.3 +72 (c) Unemployed 1.6 7.7 +381 (d) Total 11.4 19.0 +67 2. Stoke-on-Trent, South (a) Supplementary Pension 3.9 3.6 -8 (b) Supplementary Allowance 1.6 2.6 +63 (c) Unemployed 0.8 4.7 +488 (d) Total 6.2 10.9 +76 Source100 per cent. count of cases in action.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will extend until further notice the instructions to local offices not to destroy files of former unemployment supplementary benefit claimants, so that additional measures can be taken to trace those to whom repayments of voluntary unemployment deductions are due.
§ Dr. BoysonI refer the hon. member to my reply to him on 29 November 1983—[Vol. 49, c.471.] We are satisfied that no additional measures are needed.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the cost of the publicity campaign to trace former supplementary benefit claimants whose benefit was wrongly reduced on grounds of voluntary unemployment; how many repayments have resulted; and what is the total amount repaid.
§ Dr. BoysonThe publicity material cost a total of £6,700. The campaign has so far resulted in 98 payments amounting to £2,951 in repaid benefit up to 22 November 1983.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further steps he proposes to take to trace former supplementary benefit claimants whose benefit was wrongly reduced on grounds of voluntary unemployment, in view of the low response rate to his publicity campaign.
§ Dr. BoysonWe are satisfied that the action we have already announced to identify former supplementary benefit claimants who may have had benefit wrongly reduced fulfils our obligations in this matter. The facility still exists, and will continue to exist so long as records are held, for former claimants to make the appropriate inquiries of their local office. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 29 November—[Vol. 49, c.471]—staff in this Department's local office have been instructed not to destroy "dead" cases until satisfied that both the automatic scrutiny of current cases and enquiries generated from the publicity campaign are complete [Official Report, Vol. 49, c. 471].