§ Mr. Sternasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost, in respect of the latest year for which figures are available, of raising the disregard of savings for supplementary benefit purposes, for each band of £100 to £4,000.
§ Dr. BoysonSufficient data are not available to enable a precise calculation of the cost of raising the disregard of capital to £4,000 to be made, but our best estimate is that the cost would be of the order of £20 million a year. It is not possible to provide separate estimates by £100 bands.
§ Mr. Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) the administrative costs of paying supplementary benefit to the unemployed for the years 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82 and the expected costs for 1983–84, and (b) the administrative costs of paying unemployment benefit over the same period.
§ Dr. BoysonAdministrative costs cannot be allocated precisely to individual benefits, but the following figures give a rough indication:
£ milliom a. Supplementary benefit for the unemployed b. Unemployment benefit 1979–80 75 145 1980–81 110 175 1981–82 140 235 1982–83 170 275 1983–84 175 315
§ Mr. Gwilym Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Service whether it is the policy of the Government. 482W that recipients of supplementary benefit should be able to claim single payments of benefit for medical requirements; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonSection 1(3) of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976 provides that medical, surgical, optical, aural, and dental requirements are not taken into account in assessing supplementary benefit. This reflects the longstanding policy of successive Governments and the former Supplementary Benefits Commission, who have taken the view that it is for the National Health Service to meet such needs. A very recent decision of the Social Security Commissioners has, however, shown that Section 1(3) does not, as previously believed, apply to single payments of supplementary benefit. My right hon. Friend has therefore today laid before Parliament the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Amendment Regulations, which will provide that single payments cannot he made for medical or similar requirements. The regulations will come into effect on 5 November 1983. My right hon. Friend also intends to introduce an appropriate amendment to the primary legislation at the earliest convenient opportunity.