§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the Minister for Social Security will now make a further statement about the pensioners and others in the city of Manchester whose homes were wrongly denied the designation hard to heat, leading to the loss of heating allowances; how many such homes have been so designated since the matter was first raised with him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe; how many cases are still under review; how much will be lost by people in Manchester by the Minister of State's decision not to backdate the entitlement; and if he will now reconsider the decision on backdating.
§ Dr. Boyson[pursuant to his reply, 11 April 1984, c. 288–89]: I regret that the information given in my previous reply was incorrect. The first paragraph of that reply should have read as follows:
As indicated in the reply to the right hon. Member on 29 March at column 281 certain properties in Wythenshawe were designated by the Secretary of State as disproportionately expensive to heat on 15 March, some time after the right hon. Member had raised the matter with me and with the local DHSS office. A further 12 blocks in Wythenshawe are under consideration, and a decision will be taken as soon as possible when further information on the electric heating systems in those properties is available. The number of dwellings and the number of tenants receiving supplementary benefit in these properties is not known.