§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what applications for extra heating allowances can be made by tenants of local authority property where the local authority installs new heating systems, which cause tenants to pay more in energy costs than before the new system was installed;
(2) what single adjustment payments are available to those in receipt of benefit to help meet the cost of new heating systems installed in properties by local councils.
§ Mr. PortilloNo additional weekly help is available towards the running costs of a new heating system. The supplementary benefit scale rates are intended to cover all normal day-to-day expenses, including heating.
Where people have not put aside sufficient money for fuel costs because of unfamiliarity with a new heating system, single payments are available for half of the running costs incurred during the first six months of using that system.