§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in the case of workers with children, when the three-day working week is introduced, who are ineligible for unemployment benefits for whatever reason, if he will amend the Family Income Supplement (General) Regulations on a temporary basis to 473W allow those working less than 30 hours a week to claim FIS for the duration of the crisis.
§ Mr. DeanNo. Persons working less than 30 hours a week may claim supplementary benefit if their resources are below their supplementary benefit requirements.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, regarding claims for means-tested benefits when the three-day working week is introduced, whether income will be assessed according to normal average income when a full week is worked or on the basis of the actual income obtained from working a three-day week.
§ Mr. DeanThe normal rules apply. For supplementary benefit, individual prescription refunds and tokens for free milk and vitamins, the actual income for the week of claim is taken into account. Claims for long-term benefits such as FIS, prescription charge exemption certificates and books of free milk and vitamin tokens are assessed on normal earnings.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether employed persons, when the three-day working week is introduced, will be eligible for the earnings-related supplement to unemployment benefit after 12 days' unemployment, provided they meet the usual conditions for eligibility; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DeanNo. This is because, apart from having to satisfy the ordinary conditions, a suspended worker must be unemployed for a continuous period of at least seven days—excluding a rest day, which is ordinarily Sunday—to qualify for earnings-related supplement to unemployment benefit.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether employed persons who, when the three-day working week is introduced, are not eligible for unemployment benefit, for whatever reason, will be eligible for supplementary benefit; and if he will give the reasons of any prohibition on making claims in such circumstances.
§ Mr. DeanThe normal rules for supplementary benefit will apply, and it will474W be open to the people concerned to make a claim if they are in need by supplementary benefit standards.