§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in cases where miners returning to work have suffered compulsory deductions from a week's wages in excess of 50 per cent., he will take steps to ensure payment of supplementary benefit; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonPersons in full-time work are excluded from receiving supplementary benefit, though this exclusion does not apply for the first 15 days in employment. Thereafter benefit can be paid only in certain situations, defined in the Supplementary Benefit (Urgent Cases) Regulations 1981, and will normally be recoverable. Net earnings are treated as a resource in the calculation of benefit when there is entitlement. Regulation 10(4) of the Supplementary Benefit (Resources) Regulations 1981 lays down what deductions are to be made from gross earnings in calculating net earnings for this purpose.
The application of these regulations to the circumstances of particular cases is a matter for the independent adjudicating authorities.