§ Q42. Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Prime Minister what is the Government's estimate of the number of low-paid and pensioners who have become eligible to claim supplementary benefit because income tax deductions have reduced their net weekly spending power below the relevant supplementary benefit cut-off levels.
§ The Prime MinisterThe available information, derived from family expenditure survey data covering people in private households, suggests that the number of people, including pensioners, currently eligible to claim supplementary benefit because of income tax deductions is negligible. People in full-time work are not eligible to claim supplementary benefit, regardless of the level of their earnings.