HC Deb 06 June 1978 vol 951 cc81-3W
27. Mr. David Price

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many different systems of disregards are currently operated by different departments and by their various subordinate agencies in calculating relevant income for purposes of means-testing; and what action he proposes to take to get them on to a standard basis.

Mr. Orme

The following means-tested benefits and schemes administered by Government Departments, local authorities or other agencies involve disregards of income or capital or both:

  1. 1. Supplementary benefit;
  2. 2. Free milk and vitamins;
  3. 3. Help with or exemption from National Health Service charges for
    1. (i) dental treatment, dentures and glasses;
    2. (ii) prescriptions;
    3. (iii) wigs and fabric supports;
  4. 4. Help with travelling expenses of hospital patients;
  5. 5. Accommodation under Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948;
  6. 6. Legal aid in civil proceedings;
  7. 7. Legal advice and assistance;
  8. 8. Legal Aid in criminal proceedings;
  9. 9. Family income supplement;
  10. 10. Free school meals;
  11. 11. Rent rebates and allowances;
  12. 12. Rate rebates;
  13. 13. Professional training scheme for disabled people;
  14. 14. Awards for students taking certain postgraduate courses;
  15. 15. Awards for students on first degree or comparable courses, on teacher training courses and courses leading to the Diploma of Higher Education or Higher National Diploma;
  16. 16. Awards for students at long-term residential adult colleges;
  17. 17. Remission of direct grant tuition fees; and
  18. 18. Grants to severely disabled people to assist with excessive cost of fares to work.

The hon. Member will see from this list that these benefits and schemes—referred to below as "benefits"—cover an extremely wide diversity of personal circumstances. For that reason there are both broad and detailed differences between their provisions. Broadly speaking, however, the disregards of income and capital for the benefits numbered 2 to 5 are similar to those applying to supplementary benefit but may be more generous in some cases. The disregards for the benefits numbered 11 and 12 are also similar to each other, as are those for 13 and 14 and for 15 and 16. If the hon. Member wishes to go more deeply into the disregards which apply to a particular benefit, I shall be glad to let him have further details.

The various disregards were created in the interests of the claimants and differ between benefits largely because the benefits are for different purposes and apply in different circumstances and to different groups of claimants. Any attempt to get them on to a standard basis would be very costly. Apart from that, standardisation would not in itself necessarily be in the best interests of all claimants.

In addition to the benefits shown in the list, there are a number of means-tested benefits which are administered by local authorities on a discretionary basis. Details of the means-test involved are for the local authority to determine in each case.