§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will print in the Official Report the number of claimants detailed for each of the Department's main regions who have refused to be transferred from supplementary benefits to rent and rate rebates.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:I regret that the information is not available.
§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants have been transferred from supplementary benefits to rent and rate rebates; and if she will give a breakdown of this total region by region.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:The following was the number of claimants transferred as part of the special exercise by 18th February 1975, the latest date for which information is available:
Northern Region … 9,000 Yorkshire and Humberside Region … 4,900 East Midlands Region … 2,700 London (North) Region … 3,300 London (South) Region … 3,500 London (West) Region … 2,600 South West Region … 2,700 West Midlands Region … 2,900 North West (Manchester) Region … nil North West (Merseyside) Region … 600 Wales … 3,500 Scotland … 6,900 Great Britain … 42,600
§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there will be a transfer exercise for claimants who would be better off claiming rent and rate rebates when the new supplementary benefit disregard and capital rules are introduced.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:These new rules are not expected to result in an increase in the numbers who would be better off with rebates.
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§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the transfer exercise for supplementary benefit claimants who would be better off claiming rent and rate rebates has not been completed in every region; whether she will list in the Official Report in which regions the exercise is still uncompleted; what proportion of claimants remain to be transferred; and when the exercise will be completed.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:In no region has the exercise been completed in all offices. It is not yet possible to say when it will be completed everywhere or how many claimants may yet decide to transfer.