§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations took place prior to the decision to withdraw all support to the Birmingham HARP scheme for assisting pensioners with fuel bills; and with whom they were held.
§ Mr. OrmeStaff of the Supplementary Benefits Commisision held discusisons with officials of Birmingham Corporation when the Commission took the decision in principle to discontinue special rates of heating addition to supplementary pensioners in the HARP schemes.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current annual cost of his Department's support of the Birmingham HARP scheme.
§ Mr. OrmeI regret that no precise estimate is available of the total amount by which the heating additions paid to supplementary pensioners in the HARP schemes currently exceeds the cost of the standard heating additions which they would otherwise receive but the amount426W could be approaching £1 million a year. The Supplementary Benefits Commission's decision to withdraw this extra help was not, however, taken on grounds of cost but because of its concern at the unfairness to other supplementary pensioners who do not recieve the increasingly higher additions going to those in the HARP schemes.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he remains satisfied with the levels of support for heating costs for pensioners on supplementary pension, in view of the decision to phase out support for the Birmingham HARP scheme due to the use by pensioners of more fuel than was expected.
§ Mr. OrmeRises in fuel costs are taken into account in the increases in the supplementary benefit scale rates and, for those with extra heating needs, in the additions to supplementary benefit; both the scale rates and the additions are being increased in November. The Supplementary Benefits Commission's decision to withdraw the special rates of heating addition to supplementary pensioners in the HARP schemes was taken because the charges in those schemes had risen to such a level that the heating additions paid were very much greater than those paid to supplementary pensioners elsewhere. I understand that the consumption of fuel by pensioners at levels higher than expected was by no means the main cause of the increase in HARP charges.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he considered raising the heating support to supplementary pensioners to the level of the Birmingham HARP scheme before deciding to reduce aid available to those in the Birmingham scheme.
§ Mr. OrmeThe levels of the supplementary benefit scale rates, which provide for normal heating requirements, and of the heating additions payable to supplementary beneficiaries with extra heating needs, are considered each year in connection with the general uprating of social security benefits. Increases in heating additions are determined by the Supplementary Benefits Commission in the light of general movements in fuel prices and are not related to the circumstances in a particular part of the country.