§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in calculating personal income, the board and lodging provided as part of the support for full-time volunteers will be disregarded in assessing income and eligibility for rebates of community charge.
§ Mr. ScottThe details of the community charge rebate scheme have yet to be decided, but the present intention is that the procedures for calculating entitlement to rebates should follow as closely as practicable the provisions of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987. Regulation 35(5) of these regulations provides that the procedures for assessing notional income shall not apply in the case of a person claiming housing benefit who is engaged by a charitable or voluntary body, or who is a volunteer if the appropriate authority is satisfied that it is reasonable for him to provide his services free of charge.