§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) on what grounds benefits have been paid by the Supplementary Benefits Commission to persons in exceptional need wishing to return home in accordance with section 7 of the Social Security Act 1966 ;
(2) on how many occasions benefit has been paid to a person under section 7 of the Social Security Act 1966 to meet an exceptional need in the case of immigrants wishing to return home in each of the years since 1966.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe circumstances in which the Supplementary Benefits Commission uses its discretionary power under section 3 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976—formerly section 7 of the Supplementary Benefit Act 1966—to help with the cost of the fare of an immigrant and his family who wish to return to their502W country of origin for permanent resettlement, are set out at paragraph 9–27 of the Supplementary Benefits Handbook, 1979 edition. Broadly, the commission assists only those who are unlikely to become self-supporting in this country.
The number of payments made is as follows:
1966 75 1967 72 1968 93 1969 85 1970 103 1971 89 1972 103 1973 81 1974 77 1975 69 1976 45 1977 62 1978 37 1979 36