§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will elucidate regulation 5 of the Supplementary Benefit Uprating Regulations 1982, now laid before Parliament in draft.
§ Mr. NewtonRegulation 5 relates to the amounts payable under the single payments regulations for specified items of bedclothes, clothing and footwear. We have reviewed the rates introduced in the 1981 uprating by means of a survey of actual shop prices for the individual items in February 1982, to the results of which we have added a further 4 per cent. to allow for possible further increases in clothing prices from February to November 1982. Some clothing prices are lower than had been expected last year, and where the result of this year's
Annual average consumption of Electricity per consuming household and price per unit (inclusive of standing charges) England and Wales Annual Consumption* Price Eastern Electricity Area Annual Consumption‡ Price (Kilowatt hours) (Pence/Kwh) (Kilowatt hours) (Pence/Kwh) 1 June 1978 4,028 3.125 4,389 3.031 1 June 1979 4,158 3.388 4,504 3.307 1 June 1980 3,993 4.317 4,351 4.230 1 June 1981 3,883 5.319 4,221 4.994 1 June 1982† 3,883 5.798 4,221 5.434 * Consumption data relate to calendar years. †Annual average consumption levels for 1981 have been used to calculate unit values.
§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish in the Official Report the average domestic consumption of gas per household (a) nationally and (b) in East Anglia; and what was the price per unit pertaining at 1 January and 1 June for each of those years.
492Wreview would have indicated a reduction in last year's amounts, we have maintained them unchanged. Other items have been increased appropriately.