§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what arrangements are being made for ethnic minorities and those who do not fully understand English, in the light of the replacement of interviews with claimants of supplementary benefit by a written postal questionnaire; and if he will make a statement;
(2) whether a new postal questionnaire of persons claiming supplementary benefit is to be introduced; in the absence of the interview which the questionnaire has been designed to replace, what arrangements he has made to ensure that physically and mentally handicapped people will be able to complete the questionnaire; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will list those questions on the new postal questionnaire to be introduced by his Department for claimants of supplementary benefit which relate to disabled people; to whom the answers to any such questions may be referred; and if he will make a statement;
(4) how may (a) pages and (b) questions there will be in the new postal questionnaire for claimants to supplementary benefit; whether his Department intends to open an office to deal with inquiries relating to the new questionnaire; if he will specify the costs of opening an office; and if he will make a statement;
(5) what savings will result from the introduction of the new form to be completed by supplementary benefit claimants.
§ Mr. NewtonI refer the right hon. Gentleman to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 27 October 1982.—[Vol. 29, c.448.]
The new postal claim procedure applies only to unemployed people wishing to claim supplementary benefit. Those physically or mentally handicapped people who are fit enough to work and who inquire about 183W supplementary benefit at their local unemployment benefit office will be asked to complete the postal claim form. As the form itself makes clear, if claimants have any problems with making their claims, personal help will be given at our local offices or, if necessary, in the claimants' homes.
Copies of the postal claim form are in the Library. Sections 11 and 12 are intended to find out about claimants' special needs. If a claimant declares that he is registered as either blind or disabled, the staff in local offices will follow current instructions to ensure that the claimant is paid any extra benefit to which he may be entitled, and that the appropriate statutory and voluntary welfare organisations are in touch with him.
Claimants for supplementary benefit will need to complete five pages of the six-page form which, apart from personal details such as name and address, contain some 67 questions. Not all questions will apply to all claimants. In some cases only 35 questions will need to be answered. Some questions require only a tick in the appropriate box.
The Open University Institute of Educational Technology estimated that the great majority of forms submitted will be properly completed. It is not intended to open a special office; queries on the postal claims procedure will be dealt with by our existing local offices.
§ Mrs. Knightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the normal waiting period for an appeal to the commissioners against a supplementary benefit appeal tribunal's decision to be heard.
§ Mr. Newton[pursuant to his reply, 9 November 1982, c. 133]: Appeals to the commissioner against the decision of a supplementary benefit appeal tribunal go through two stages: application for leave to appeal, followed by the appeal if the application is granted. The time taken to determine the appeal varies in each individual case, according to a number of factors, some outside the commissioner's control, and no precise figures are available.