§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received any representations concerning proposals to prevent unemployed school leavers from claiming supplementary benefit until the September following the end of the school academic year; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerA number of representations have been received. I am satisfied that the balance of argument is in favour of treating young people as dependent on their parents or guardians up to the end of the school holiday after they leave school. Where a parent or guardian was already receiving child benefit or social security dependency benefit this would continue until the child could claim supplementary benefit for himself at the end of the appropriate school holiday. The savings resulting from this proposal would be used to improve the benefits payable to other claimants, such as one-parent families.