Mr. Leslie Hucklieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what instructions have been given to officers of his Department regarding the erasure, updating, and filing of information gathered in pursuance of the cohabitation rules for single women; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Dean:Information relevant to a claim for supplementary benefit is recorded and kept up to date in a file relating to the individual claimant. For most cases, instructions provide for all the papers to be destroyed two years after the final payment of benefit. In a small minority of cases with special features, such as over-payment, this period may be up to five years.