HC Deb 05 February 1971 vol 810 cc476-7W
Mrs. Shirley Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are currently drawing discretionary additions of supplementary benefit because of special needs for extra heating.

Mr. Dean

About 150,000.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people he estimates will be drawing discretionary additions of supplementary benefit because of special needs for extra heating in June, 1971, under the wider criterion the Supplementary Benefits Commission has introduced.

Mr. Dean

No firm estimate can be made in advance, but the number may be of the order of 350,000 when both the new criteria and the higher rates of special addition have been fully applied.