§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the effect so far of the intensified action taken by civil servants on the payment of social security benefits.
§ Mrs. ChalkerIndustrial action by civil servants was intensified from 8 June when the computers which pay unemployment benefit—Reading and Livingston—and child benefit—Washington—were stopped.
Benefits to the unemployed are now being paid manually by staff in unemployment benefit offices. The unemployed should continue to go to those offices where they will be told how their benefit will be paid.
New and replacement child benefit order books have not been issued from the child benefit centre at Washington since 5 June. Arrangements have been made with the Post Office for benefit to continue to be paid when order books run out by production of the book that has just expired each week at the post office when it is stamped for that week. This will ensure continuation of payment to the great majority of mothers, but payments will be delayed for those who have recently sent their order book back to Washington for new claims. As our advertising has emphasised, until further notice, mothers should not send their order books back to the child benefit centre for any reason at all but should report any changes of circumstances to their local social security office. Claims for new children should be made in the normal way, but payment will be delayed until the end of the dispute.
November 1980 Supplementary* Benefit Level
(1)
Net Income from Earnings† (2) Col. (1) as percentage of Col. (2)‡ £ £ Single Householder 30.86 80.06 38.5(45.9) Married Couple 45.22 84.51 53.5(64.0) Married Couple with 2 children under 5 63.52 94.01 67.6(77.0) Married Couple with 4 children under 10 77.18 103.51 74.6(83.1) * Figures in column 1 consist of the ordinary scale rate, rent additions and where appropriate the age related heating addition. † Figures in column 2 are estimates of average gross weekly earnings of male manual workers on adult rates of pay derived by extrapolation from the Department of Employment October inquiry, using the average earnings index (new series) of production industries, seasonally adjusted, with deductions for income tax and National Insurance contributions at the non-contracted out rate. Child benefit has been included where appropriate. ‡ Figures in brackets show the effect of applying the long-term rates. It should be noted that because of changes in the basis on which earnings are estimated these figures are not strictly comparable with those published in table 10 of the Supplementary Benefits Commission's annual report 1975, and that the figures in columns 2 and 3 are provisional.