§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenterasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is aware that the cost of living in London is higher than in the rest of the United Kingdom; and whether, in the light of this, he will consider arranging that special exercises of discretion shall be made in respect of payments additional to those in respect of rent made to recipients of supplementary benefit in London.
§ Sir K. JosephApart from housing costs which, as my right hon. Friend recognises, are dealt with separately, I have seen no reliable evidence to show that claimants of supplementary benefit in London find it harder to cover their essen-286W tial expenses than those in some other parts of the country. Where an individual claimant has an exceptional need, it can be met under the Commission's discretionary powers in London as elsewhere.