§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why a review has been undertaken by the local Department of Health and Social Security office of the heating allowance that had previously been made available to the residents of Shiel Park flats, Liverpool.
§ Mr. NewtonWhere supplementary benefit claimants pay a fixed charge for their heating to their landlord, as in the case of tenants of Shiel Park flats, any excess of that charge over standard amounts laid down in Regulations is met through supplementary benefit or housing benefit. If the heating provided by the landlord does not provide for all the necessary heating of the home, the claimants may also qualify for other supplementary benefit heating additions, in addition to help available with the fixed charge. In the light of information now available to the local supplementary benefit officer, he now considers that this heating system cannot be assumed to provide for all the necessary heating of the claimants' homes, and he is taking steps to identify and put into payment any additional benefit entitlement for those concerned at the earliest opportunity.