§ Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the relative merits of(a) the Leeming and (b) the Newcastle weather stations to determine the eligibility for cold weather payments for people in the Hexham constituency.
§ Mr. ScottThe Newcastle weather station is not used for the purposes of the social fund cold weather payments 383W scheme since its location in the City tends to make it warmer than the area covered by the Department's local offices in the Hexham constituency. The weather station at Leeming, in the Vale of York, though further away, experiences temperature more representative of the Hexham constituency.