§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will meet representatives of the Royal British Legion to discuss the effects on the ex-service community of the abolition of lump sum payments for attributable hearing loss below 20 per cent.; [18952]
(2) if he will meet representatives of the Royal British Legion to discuss the effects for the ex-service community of the abolition of lump sum payments for attributable hearing loss below 20 per cent. [18954]
282Wis not available. Payments are issued automatically, so, administration costs are comparatively low.
The cost of the cold weather payment scheme is dependent on weather conditions in any particular year. During the mild winter of 1994–95, 10,969 payments were made at a total cost of £76,786. Administration costs were therefore minimal.
Out of a total of £15,806 charged by the Meteorological Office for the cold weather payment scheme during 1994–95, £7,755 was for forecasting. These costs are negotiated annually and are fixed costs regardless of actual weather conditions.
As a breakdown of the total budget for the scheme, including administration, is unavailable, it is not possible to say what proportion of the total the charge for forecasting represents.
Note:1. This figure will not sum as a multiple of the 1994–95 £7 cold weather payment figure, due to clerical awards made at amounts other than £7