§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 1999,Official Report, column 341, what assessment he has made of the practicability of the Benefits Agency's uprating plan being implemented if the annual uprating of benefits were based on the retail price index for the year to October, November or December preceding the uprating. [98425]
§ Mr. RookerI have made no such assessment.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how council tax is taken into account in the uprating of retirement pension and income support. [98426]
§ Mr. RookerChanges in Council Tax are included in RPI (all items) the index normally used to uprate Retirement pension. Changes in Council Tax are not taken into account in the Rossi index, the index normally used to uprate Income Support.