§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements were made to publicise the availablility of a bridging allowance to young people aged 16 to 18 years who lost entitlement to income support in September 1988; whether any plans were drawn up by his Department to instruct local offices to publicise both bridging allowances and the payment of child benefit to parents; and whether any offices caried out exercises to publicise such allowances.
§ Mr. Peter LloydFrom May 1988 a supplement was included in the leaflet FB23 "A young persons' guide to Social Security". The supplement was entitled "New Income Support rules for people under eighteen". It included sections on both bridging allowance and extended child benefit. Any young person leaving school could obtain the leaflet FB23 and the supplement free from careers offices, DSS local offices, and from schools and local authority social service departments.
Young people aged 16 or 17 years at 12 September 1988 who were receiving income support up to that date were 160W sent a letter advising them that their income support was being withdrawn. The letter included details of the availablility of a bridging allowance. No mention was made in the letter of the payment of child benefit for an extended period since most of these young people would have left school at Easter 1988, or before, and their parents would not have qualified for payment.