HC Deb 10 June 1985 vol 80 cc361-2W
Mr. Alton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will produce detailed costings of all the proposals in the social security Green Paper.

Mr. Wallace

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the expected loss to claimants under the social security Green Paper proposals of contributing towards the cost of rates.

Mr. Whitney

I refer the hon. Members to my hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Dunfermline, East (Mr. Brown) on 6 June at column241.

Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any of the new income related benefits contained in the social security Green Paper will be subject to any cash limits.

Mr. Newton

The new social fund will have a fixed annual budget, as stated in the social security Green Paper (volume 2, paragraph 2.112). Cash limits will not apply to income-related maintenance benefits described in the Green Paper.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the effect of his proposal to remove the power of local education authorities to provide reduced cost school meals; and if he will define this term as used in paragraph 4.51 of volume 2 of the "Reform of Social Security".

Mr. Newton

The reference to "reduced cost" relates to the provision in section 22(3)(b) of the Education Act 1980 and the corresponding provision in section 53(3)(b) in respect of Scotland, that a local education authority (LEA) shall remit the whole or any part of any charge that would otherwise be made if, having regard to the particular circumstances of any pupil or class or description of pupils, they consider it appropriate to do so.

Some LEAs are understood to remit part of the charge under this provision, but no separate estimate has been made of the effect of this part of the proposals.

Mr. Nellist

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make it his policy that, if the proposals in the Green Paper, "Reform of Social Security", Cmnd. 9517 are implemented 16 and 17-year-olds will continue to be entitled to supplementary benefit if they are unable to find work;

(2) if he has any plans to review the levels of supplementary benefit payable to 16 and 17-year-olds in the light of the inception of the new extended youth training scheme in 1986.

Mr. Whitney

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) on 4 April at column 766 and to paragraph 9.27 of volume 1 of the Green Paper "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9517).