§ 31. Mr. H. Hyndasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many grants for clothing have been given by the National Assistance Board's Accrington office during the last twelve months.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI am informed by the National Assistance Board that in the twelve months to the end of June, 1956, 115 grants were made by this office under the exceptional needs powers. The grants were mostly, but not entirely, for clothing.
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§ 35. Mr. Owenasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to direct the National Assistance Board to make special provision now to enable old-age pensioners to obtain an adequate supply of light and fuel before the coming winter.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe National Assistance Board is an independent statutory body and not subject to such directives. The normal weekly rates of assistance which Parliament has approved take into account provision for fuel and light, and the statutory Regulations empower the Board's officers to make additional provision for this purpose in appropriate circumstances.
§ Mr. Owenasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many old-age pensioners in Ashington, and Morpeth, Northumberland, were receiving National Assistance at the nearest convenient date, compared with the corresponding dates in 1950 and 1955.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe National Assistance Board regrets that figures are not available for the towns of Ashington and Morpeth, which are part of a much larger area covered by an office at Ashington. In that area, 2,643 weekly national assistance allowances were being paid to retirement and non-contributory old-age pensioners at 26th June, 1956, compared with 2,659 at 28th June, 1955, some of the allowances providing for the requirements of a household with more than one pensioner. A comparable figure for 1950 cannot be given as there have been substantial changes in the area covered by the office.