§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give an assurance that all applicants for supplementary pensions or awards with a wife and two children are granted 114W £28.40 per week on the similar basis to that made to the person, details of whom are in his possession.
§ Mr. DeanThis Question implies that the applicant concerned, who as the House will know, is Dr. Acharya, a Ugandan Asian, is getting better treatment than a British-born person in similar circumstances. This is not the case. All applicants get precisely the same treatment from the Supplementary Benefits Commission but the amount of supplementary benefit will depend on the individual circumstances. For that reason I cannot give an assurance in the terms of the question which fails to take into account the widely varying individual circumstances of applicants.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the normal pension entitlement of a retirement pensioner and his wife with two children of school age; whether such a person with housing provided or rent allowance in lieu is entitled to claim a supplementary pension making his net total disposable income up to £28.40 per week.
§ Mr. DeanThe rates of national insurance benefit are specified in Schedule 1 to the National Insurance Act, 1972. The amount of any supplementary pension will depend upon individual circumstances and claim forms are available at post offices or local social security offices.