§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, further to his answer of 15 February to the hon. Member for Dunfermline, East,Official Report, column 492, he will break down the £420 million extra expenditure under the income support scheme in 1988–89 into expenditure incurred by transitional protection and expenditure not incurred by transitional protection; and in each case how much of this expenditure is attributable to compensation for the 20 per cent. rates contribution.
§ Mr. Scott[holding answer 3 March 1988]: Of the £420 million, extra expenditure on transitional protection will be £200 million and that on structural changes £220 million.
Extra expenditure on income support in 1988–89 to compensate for the 20 per cent. rates contribution will be £280 million. This relates entirely to the structural effect. However, in calculating the amount of benefit payable at the point of the change to income support, compensation for the rates contribution is also to be built into the supplementary benefit levels. But for this the cost of 57W transitional protection would have been reduced by £70 million and the total additional expenditure in 1988–89 would have reduced from £420 million to £350 million.