Cohabitation (Form A6 (LT))

HC Deb 05 April 1978 vol 947 cc131-2W

Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in view of the importance he attaches to the good neighbour policy and the campaign, if he will take steps to remove all the names of the public who have had their names recorded by investigators without their knowledge or approval through the use of form A6 (LT);

(2) if he will make a statement on the use of form A6 (LT) since its distribution in January; how many claimants have been subjected to the questions; and how many additional names have been compiled on the forms;

(3) if he will immediately suspend the use of form A6 (LT) by his officials when interviewing social security benefit claimants.

Mr. Orme

Form A6(LT) was introduced at the beginning of 1978 as part of the Supplementary Benefits Commission's new policy for ensuring a more sensitive and humane administration of the law relating to the entitlement to benefit of couples who are living together as husband and wife, though not married. It provides a structured report from the specially trained interviewing officer to the senior officer, who decides whether or not a couple are living together as husband and wife. Its purpose is to ensure that all relevant aspects are considered and claimants are treated consistently. These reports are treated in strictest confidence; are used only for assessing entitlement to benefit; and are destroyed 18 months after a person has stopped claiming supplementary benefit.

It would not be practicable to keep a record of the names of people other than claimants recorded on these forms or to remove such names from the forms that have been completed in respect of some 10,000 claims so far.

These new arrangements have been in operation for only a few months. I have drawn the concern expressed by my hon. Friend to the attention of the Supplementary Benefits Commission. I have asked the commission to keep the new arrangements under close scrutiny and to assess whether any modifications are necessary when the arrangements have been in operation for a reasonable period of time.