§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many 16 and 17-year-olds have(a) applied for and (b) been refused income support on grounds of extreme hardship (i) in Scotland and (ii) in England and Wales since the introduction of the scheme.
§ Mr. Peter LloydDuring the period from 12 September 1988 to 17 February 1989 the number of applications for a direction by the Secretary of State under the "severe hardship" provision and the results of those applications were as follows:
Number of applications received Number of directions given Number of directions refused Scotland 1,430 947 483 England and Wales 3,016 1,946 1,070 Note:
Information relates to the number of applications received rather than to the number of individual young people involved. Some individuals have made more than one application.