§ Q17. Dame Irene Wardasked the Prime Minister if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a copy of the letter he addressed to Councillor W. L. Lawler of Birmingham relating to electricity bills received by old-age pensioners.
§ The Prime Minister:It would I think be inappropriate for me to publish letters sent on my behalf to private citizens, but, in view of the misunderstanding, including statements to the Press, which appears to have occurred over the letter in question, I am prepared exceptionally to publish the paragraph about fuel costs in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
The following is the information:
It is very difficult to comment on the cases you mention in your letter without knowing more of the circumstances of the families concerned. The general position as regards elderly people who receive supplementary pensions is that in determining the rate of this pension, the Ministry of Social Security take into account any disproportionate expense of heating which a pensioner may be forced to incur because of such factors as ill-health or the need to use a type of heating equipment which is more expensive than normal. The Ministry also consider as sympathetically as possible any extra costs which may arise when a pensioner 229W first uses a type of heating with which he is unfamiliar. It is therefore to be hoped that that old people who find themselves in difficulty over heating charges would consult local offices of the Ministry of Social Security, and the housing authorities where appropriate, to see whether anything further can be done for them, before taking such a drastic step as leaving their accommodation.