§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many home visits were made to claimants of supplementary benefit in Lambeth in the current year compared with 1980.
§ Dr. BoysonThe information requested is collected on a local office basis rather than a local authority basis. 71,054 homes visits were made by the 9 local offices who have parts of Lambeth within their boundaries in the year ending June 1984. Similar figures for 1980 are no longer available.
658Wa table showing for each compound in prisons in Northern Ireland the number of special category prisoners presently detained whom he expects to finish their sentences in (a) 1984, (b) 1985, (c) 1986 and (d) 1987; and if he will indicate for each year, and for the present total, to which terrorist or paramilitary organisation those prisoners are or were members.
§ Mr. Scott[pursuant to his reply, 10 July 1984]: The following table contains the information requested.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate in the current year of supplementary benefit payments paid solely or principally on account of a person's disability;
(2) what is his estimate in the current year of the cost of supplementary benefit additional payments paid solely or principally on account of a person's disability.
§ Dr. BoysonIt is estimated that supplementary benefit of about £300 million, including additional payments, will be paid in 1984–85 to long-term sick and disabled claimants. Additional payments may be made for a variety of reasons, and we regret that it is not possible to estimate separately the cost of additional payments made to these claimants solely or principally because of their illness or disability.
In addition, other claimants who claim supplementary benefit for some reason other than long-term sickness or disability (for example retirement pensioners) may be disabled and claimants may have dependants who are disabled and additional payments may be paid because of such disability, but no estimate of the cost of such payments is available.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate of the numbers of people who will cease to qualify for supplementary benefit as a result of the difference in upratings between insurance benefits and supplementary benefits in November 1984; what is his estimate of the extra cost to local authorities of processing applicants transferred to standard housing benefit and subsequently to housing benefit supplement; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what is his estimate of the number of people who will cease to be entitled to supplementary benefit as a result of the decision to subtract £1 from additional payments for heating; what is his estimate of the extra cost to local authorities of processing subsequent applications for standard housing benefit and housing benefit supplement; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.