§ 48. Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what initiatives he intends to take to overcome the problems confronting homeless people.
§ Sir George YoungResponsibility for health and personal social services for homeless people rests with the health and local authorities in whose areas they are. It is for them to maintain, plan and develop such services in the light of local needs and priorities through their main programmes, enhanced, where appropriate, by urban aid or joint finance. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I encourage co-operation at local level between social services, housing and health authorities and other agencies concerned, including voluntary organisations.
For those single homeless people who are without a settled way of life there are resettlement units and voluntary projects funded by the Department to provide temporary board and lodging with a view to influencing people to lead a more settled way of life. The report of the supplementary benefits review team listed a number of issues relating to these people as meriting further study and
Supplementary Benefit Level (1) £ Net Income from ⅔ average earnings (2)* £ Col. (1) as a percentage of Col. (2)(3) Single Householder October 72 9.28 15.81 59 (61)† November 80 30.86 70.51 44 (56) Married Couple October 72 13.97 16.26 86 (90) November 80 45.22 73.90 61 (73) Married Couple with 2 children under 5 October 72 17.86 20.08 89 (92) November 80 63.52 81.10 78 (89) Married Couple with 4 children, 2 under 5, 2 aged 5–10 October 72 22.36 24.46 91 (94) November 80 77.18 91.54 84 (94) Notes * Based on estimates of gross earnings determined as follows: October 1972—by interpolation of the Department of Employment's October inquiry (older series) seasonally adjusted November 1980—by extrapolation of Department of Employment's October inquiry using the average earnings index (new series) of production industries, seasonally adjusted. † Figures in brackets show the effect of applying the long-term rate.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the £2,000 capital limit before entitlement to supplementary benefit was set; and what this figure would be now if indexation had been taken into account.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe £2,000 capital limit for supplementary benefit came into effect on 24 November 1980. It would need to be raised to about £2,145 now to reflect the movement in the general index of retail prices between that date and mid-May, the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received about
106WI am at present considering how best to carry forward the review team's proposals for a review of policy in this area, in the light of recent legislative changes and other developments since 1978 when the report was published.
The Department also makes grants towards the headquarters costs of certain national voluntary organisations and encourages experimentation and research to improve services for single homeless people in need of care and support.