§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated impact on the standards of living of those claiming social security benefit of the Government's proposals to make such recipients of benefits pay 20 per cent. of their rates.
§ Mr. NewtonIt is not sensibly possible to generalise in the way implied by my hon. Friend's question, since this proposal is part of a wider pattern of changes which, being designed to produce a fairer and better targeted benefit structure, necessarily varies in its effects on different individuals and groups. The technical annex to the White Paper "Reform of Social Security" does, however, contain tables showing, on certain illustrative assumptions about benefit rates and other matters, the possible overall effect of the proposals both with and without a 20 per cent. contribution to domestic rates.