§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take 402W steps to ensure that payment of the exceptional needs payment for a layette, which is paid to single pregnant girls and women who are not eligible for maternity grant and who depend on supplementary benefit, is not delayed until the baby is born; and if he will issue revised instructions to ensure that such persons can in future claim and be paid the money as early as maternity grant can be claimed and paid.
§ Mr. DeakinsMaternity grant is a benefit of a fixed amount payable where contribution conditions are satisfied. Payments to supplementary beneficiaries for expenses associated with a birth, however, vary according to the actual needs of the mother. The Supplementary Benefits Commission's policy is that any payment should be made two or three weeks before the expected date of confinement: and I am satisfied that this is reasonable.