§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether travel warrants are being made available by his Department's local offices to enable claimants of board and lodging allowance under the age 527W of 26 years to move away from the current place of residence after the four or eight week period allowed under regulations has expired; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe circumstances in which single payments of supplementary benefit can be made for travelling expenses of unemployed boarders aged 25 or under are set out in paragraph 122 of Circular S13/85, a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. Allan Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what are the latest available figures for the number of claimants excluded from boarder status under Regulations 9(14) of the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements) Regulations 1983 since, in the opinion of the benefit officer, they were on holiday; and if he will give this information for Great Britain as a whole, for England, Wales and Scotland, and for each Department of Health and Social Services region;
(2) what information he has as to the number of landlords of ordinary board and lodging establishments, excluding registered hostels, who catered exclusively for supplementary benefit claimants at the time when he laid the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements and Resources) Miscellaneous Provisions Regulations 1985 before the House; and if he will break down the information for Great Britain as a whole, for England, Wales and Scotland, and for each Department of Health and Social Services region;
(3) what information he has as to the number of landlords of ordinary board and lodging establishments, excluding registered hostels, who charged higher weekly rates for claimants of supplementary benefit than for people not claiming supplementary benefit at the time when he laid the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements and Resources) Miscellaneous Provisions Regulations 1985 before the House; and if he will give this information for Great Britain as a whole, for England, Wales and Scotland, and for each Department of Health and Social Services region;
(4) what information he can provide concerning the number of landlords of ordinary board and lodging establishments, excluding registered hostels, who set their charges solely by reference to the local supplementary benefit upper limits at the time when he laid the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements and Resources) Miscellaneous Provisions Regulations 1985 before the House; and if he will give this information for Great Britain as a whole, for England, Wales and Scotland, and for each of his Department's regions.
§ Mr. WhitneyInformation in the form requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.