§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of section 9(4) and (5) of the Social Security Supplementary Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 1983, his Department accepts the financial responsiblity for special needs provision of residential accommodation for (a) the elderly, (b) the mentally handicapped and (c) other hostels for various groups; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonThe purpose of the amending regulations was to remove from the supplementary benefit scheme the former open-ended discretion to meet charges for board and lodging accommodation, however high, and at the same time to improve the arrangements for determining basic entitlement to supplementary benefit by introducing a new three-tier system of upper limits in each locality for nursing homes, residential care homes and for others. The amendments do not represent any change in established policy or practice in health and social services responsibilities for the provision of residential accommodation.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will keep the dead files of those claimants to whom voluntary unemployment deduction may have been made up until such time as he has traced all those claimants who may have wrongly suffered deductions in benefit.
§ Dr. BoysonStaff in this Department's local offices have been instructed not to destroy "dead" cases until satisfied that both the automatic scrutiny of current cases and the inquiries generated from the publicity campaign are complete.
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§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants have so far identified themselves as being wrongly stopped benefit under the voluntary unemployment rule.
§ Dr. BoysonI refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Staffordshire, South (Mr. Cormack) on 15 November 1983.—[Vol. 48, c.487.]