§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money was paid by his Department in the last year for which figures are available in respect of furniture to social security claimants.
§ Mr. DeakinsI would refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 8.5 and 8.6 and Tables 20 and 21 of the Supplementary Benefits Commission's Annual Report 1975—Cmnd. 6615.
§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what action his Department takes in cases when Giro cheques made out by his Department to furniture dealers in respect of furniture considered essential by his Department for a claimant, are spent by the claimant on items of furniture other than those for which the cheque was originally given;
(2) what procedures his Department adopts to make certain that Giro cheques issued by his Department in respect of essential furniture are in fact spent on that essential furniture;
(3) if it is his Department's policy to allow social security claimants who have received Giro cheques from his Department in respect of essential furniture to use those cheques to pay for furniture other than those items for which the cheque was issued;
(4) what action he has instructed his Department to take in cases where the value of Giro cheques issued by his Department to furniture dealers in respect of furniture considered essential for social security claimants, is not fully taken up by the cost of the furniture and the difference is paid in cash to the claimant;
(5) on how many occasions Giro cheques paid by his Department in respect of essential furniture have been spent in whole or in part on a record player; and what action his Department took on discovering such cases;
407W(6) what action his Department would take in a case where a Giro cheque issued by his Department in respect of essential furniture for a claimant were to be spent in whole or in part on a television set; and how many such cases his Department is aware of in each of the last five years, respectively.
§ Mr. OrmeI understand that the Supplementary Benefits Commission's policy is that any exceptional needs payment made for an essential item of furniture should be spent on that item. To this end the girocheques for such items, though sent to claimants, are usually made payable to the appropriate furniture supplier for the amount quoted as the cost of the item, and crossed "a/c payee only". There should thus be no difference between the amount of the cheque and the cost of the item, and no instance of a payment to the claimant of such a difference has come to the Commission's notice. In the case of less expensive items, girocheques are sometimes made payable to claimants, but the Commission's officers are instructed to ask claimants to forward receipts for the items purchased if there is any doubt as to a claimant's reliability. The officers may alternatively seek to have the spending of the grant supervised. If any evidence of mis-spending comes to light, no further payment is made for the item concerned; and any subsequent grants would be closely controlled. No record is kept of cases where grants for furniture may have been misapplied. Payments are not made for television sets or record players and I would refer the hon. Member to my hon. Friend's reply to his earlier Question on 21st July.—[Vol. 915, c.515–16.]