HC Deb 28 June 1979 vol 969 c321W
Mr. Cartwright

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many supplementary benefit recipients were covered by the direct fuel deduction scheme in respect of (a) gas and (b) electricity at the end of the four most recent quarters for which figures are available.

Mrs. Chalker

The figures below show the number of deductions being made in respect of each fuel. Since some claimants are paying for both gas and electricity by means of direct payments, the figures overstate the number of claimants affected by the arrangements.

Quarter ending Electricity* Gas
June 1978 79,198 43,711
September 1978 77,785 42,611
December 1978 71,495 39,143
March 1979 69,222 37,389
* Figures included here for the two Scottish Boards relate to quarters ending one month earlier.