§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will state, for those offices covering the Workington travel-to-work area, the total number of supplementary benefit claimants for the last month for which statistics are available and the figure for the comparable month last year;
(2) if he will state, for those offices covering the Workington travel-to-work area, the total number of unemployed people claiming supplementary benefit during the last month for which statistics are available and the figures for the comparable month last year;
(3) if he will state, for those offices covering Workington travel-to-work area, the total number of supplementary benefit appeals registered during the last month for which statistics are available.
§ Dr. BoysonThree supplementary benefit appeals were registered at the Workington local office during the month ending 17 January 1984. The number of cases in action in that office for December 1983 and December 1982, the latest period for which comparable figures are available, were as follows:
Thousands December 1982 December 1983 Unemployed claimants 2.7 2.7 All claimants 6.3 6.3 Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action.
§ Sir David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimate of the average life of a pair of children's shoes used by his Department for calculating supplementary benefit where the child in question has only one pair of shoes.
§ Dr. BoysonSingle payments of supplementary benefit for children's shoes can in certain closely defined circumstances be made under regulation 27 of the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Regulations 1981, but the regulation states that an award cannot be made where the need has arisen through either "normal wear and tear" or "in the normal course of events". The interpretation of these provisions is a matter for the independent adjudicating authorities. We would not expect an estimate of the average life of a pair of children's shoes to be a relevant consideration.