HC Deb 23 April 1980 vol 983 cc163-4W
Mr. Soley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, following the transfer of persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 to Ashford remand centre rather than Her Majesty's prison, Pentonville, and in view of the consequent expense which falls upon dependants who visit the more remote establishments, if he will issue travel warrants to dependants to visit Ashford.

Mrs. Chalker

Under the standard arrangements administered by the Supplementary Benefits Commission, a dependant on a low income and not in full-time work can get help with travelling expenses

Mrs. Chalker

The information is not available in precisely the form requested, but the table below gives, for the family types shown, the estimated numbers of registered unemployed males receiving unemployment benefit and/or supplementary allowance in November 1978—the latest date available—and expresses them, where possible, as a percentage of the estimated total number of families of each type headed by a male. No comparable information is available for unemployed men who were not in receipt of benefit.

to Ashford. There are no proposals to extend this help to others.