HC Deb 16 November 1987 vol 122 cc431-2W
Mr. Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the constituency of Fife, North-East are currently in receipt of the following benefits(a) supplementary benefit, (b) unemployment benefit, (c) housing benefit, (d) child benefit, and (e) mobility allowance; and how many supplementary benefit payments were made to Fife, North-East residents in the last financial year.

Mr. Portillo

(a) The Fife, North-East constituency is covered by the Department's local offices at Dundee, East, Perth and Leven, although their boundaries are not conterminous. The table shows the number of people receiving supplementary benefit from those offices as at 28 July 1987, the latest date for which information is available:

Number
Dundee East 12,626
Perth 8,821
Leven 5,465
Total 26,912

(Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action)

(b) Similarly, the constituency is covered by the Department of Employment's unemployment benefit offices at Leven and Glenrothes, and again the boundaries are not conterminous. The table shows the number of people receiving unemployment benefit from those offices as at 14 May 1987, the latest date for which information is available:

Number
Leven 1,446
Glenrothes 1,474
Total 2,920

(Source: 100 per cent. count of cases where UB is in payment)

(c) The provisional number of rate rebate recipients for Fife North-East district council in the current financial year is 7,565. This is the nearest available equivalent to the information requested.

(d-e) Child benefit and mobility allowance are administered centrally and I regret that there is no information specific to Fife.

The number of supplementary benefit single payments made through the local offices of the Department covering the constituency for the 1986–87 financial year were:

Dundee, East Perth Leven
17,028 6,059 6,118

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services why Mrs Ellis and her 15-year-old son of 21 Valentine crescent. Sheffield 5, have been refused an urgent needs payment.

Mr. Portillo

The question of Mrs. Ellis' entitlement to an urgent need payment is for the independent adjudication authority to decide. If Mrs. Ellis is dissatisfied with the decision, she has the right of appeal to the social security appeal tribunal.