§ 46. Mr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what special arrangements are made for social security claimants who move around the country in convoys.
§ Mr. Peter LloydPeople who move around the country in convoys may be claiming any one or more of a number of social security benefits. Special arrangements are occasionally made to deal with their claims for income support and unemployment benefits.
Those who claim income support and/or unemployment benefit are bound by the same rules as other claimants, one of which is that they must either be available and registered for work at an unemployment benefit office or be sick or otherwise not required to register as unemployed.
When claimants from a convoy arrive at a local DSS office the manager may request the help of a small mobile regional team to deal with the claims. Usually staff from the local unemployment benefit office attend the DSS office in order to speed the process of the convoy claimants registering for work and claiming income support and unemployment benefit. Such extra help is instrumental in minimising the disruption to claimants who live in the area and use the local DSS and unemployment benefit offices. It also enables the convoy claimants to be dealt with swiftly and with due regard to the propriety of their claims.