§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were living in households with an income below the supplementary benefit level in 1979 and at the nearest available date in 1984.
§ Dr. BoysonThe most recent estimates, including that for 1979, are contained in table 2 of the tables entitled "Low Income Families — 1981", a copy of which is lodged in the Library.
§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total amount of supplementary benefit paid to claimants at offices covering the London borough of Lambeth during the financial year 1983–84.
§ Dr. BoysonThis information is not available.
§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that there are sufficient staff employed by his Department in Lambeth to ensure that all claimants for supplementary benefit receive supplements to standard rates of benefit to which they may be entitled.
§ Dr. BoysonWe are satisfied that sufficient staff have been allocated to the Lambeth offices to deal with all aspects of supplementary benefit work. In my earlier reply of 4 June [at column26] the hon. Member will have seen that staffing levels have increased to fulfil the objective of the complementing system to match staff to work loads. The complementing system, is explained in a guide held in the Library.
§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what criteria are used for defining full-time and part-time employees for the purposes of all benefits for which such definitions are relevant.
§ Dr. BoysonThe benefits to which entitlement can be affected by either full-time or part-time work and the definitions used are as follows:
Supplementary Benefit
580W(i) Persons engaged in remunerative full-time work are not entitled to benefit. Regulation 9 of the Supplementary Benefit (Conditions of Entitlement) Regulations 1981 SI 1526 provides that a person shall be treated as engaged in such work if he is on average working for not less than 30 hours a week or, 35 hours a week in the case of a mentally or physically disabled person whose earning capacity is by reason of disablement reduced to 75 per cent. or less of what he would, but for that disablement, be reasonably expected to earn;(ii) Single Payments of benefit for travelling, removal and work expenses can be made to persons looking for or taking up employment which is defined as above with the exception that it applies only to employed earners. Regulation 6(9) of the Supplementary Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1984 SI 938, which were laid before the House on 6 July 1984, provides that, with effect from 6 August 1984, single payments for work expenses are extended to those taking up part-time work in employed earner's employment averaging not less than 15 hours a week.Family Income Supplement
Benefit is payable to persons who are engaged and normally engaged in remunerative full-time work. Regulation 5(3) of the Family Income Supplement (General) Regulations 1980 SI 1437 provides that the minimum weekly hours for this purpose are 30 hours a week and, in the case of one-parent families, 24 hours a week.Child Benefit
Child benefit normally continues for a school leaver to the end of the school holidays following the last day of term, but stops earlier if the young person starts full-time gainful employment. The child benefit regulations do not define full-time, but the view of the independent adjudicating authorities is that employment of 30 hours a week or more is full-time.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate to what level (a) family income supplement and (b) child benefit would need to be raised in order to ensure all worker's families with children have an income above their supplementary benefit entitlement.
§ Mr. NewtonI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.