§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table similar to table 10 of the Supplementary Benefits Commission annual report 1975, showing supplementary benefit levels, including rent addition for households of different sizes, as a percentage of net incomes from average male manual earnings in November 1980.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe information is as follows:
required to treat all claims for benefit in strictest confidence. Moreover, Departmental instructions do not permit an officer to deal with a claim for benefit by a relative or personal friend. For the convenience of both the Department and the claimant, a claim for benefit is normally dealt with by the local office nearest to a claimant's home address although a claimant can choose to have it dealt with by any local office.
I am not aware of any breach of the confidentiality rules or of any difficulty in having a claim dealt with by an office other than a claimant's own local one. However, if my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, perhaps he could write to me.