§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of families with children who will be affected by changes in the available scale margin in November; and how many of these stand to lose 50p a week and how many stand to lose £1 a week as a result of the changes.
§ Dr. BoysonThe proposed changes to the available scale margin will not affect heating additions in respect of children, and other additional requirements for children to which the available scale margin is not currently applied will continue to be exempt. About 3,000 families with children will gain up to 50p as a result of the new exemption from the available scale margin of additional requirements for boarding out fees and children's laundry. All other families with children receiving the long term scale rates will also gain in cash terms next November although approximately 20,000 families with children will receive up to 50p a week less, and approximately 80,000 will receive between 50p and £1 less than would otherwise have been the case as a result of the proposed changes in the available scale margin.
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§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will estimate the number (a) of supplementary pensioners, (b) of national insurance widows under 60 years, (c) of other single-parent families, (d) of sick and disabled, (e) of unemployed men aged 60 to 65 years on the long-term rate and (f) of others who will be affected by changes in the available scale margin in November; and how many of these stand to lose 50p a week and how many stand to lose £1 a week as a result of the changes;
(2) if he will estimate the number of people who will lose entitlement (a) to supplementary pensions and (b) to supplementary allowances as a result of changes in the available scale margin in November.
§ Dr. BoysonI shall let the hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number and proportion of long-term supplementary benefit recipients who will be affected by changes in the available scale margin in November; and how many of these stand to lose 50p a week and how many stand to lose £1 a week as a result of the changes.
§ Dr. BoysonAbout 2.3 million claimants receive the long-term scale rates of supplementary benefit, which will be £11.55 higher than the normal rates, for a married couple, in November 1984. All of these will gain in cash terms from the uprating, although about 400,000 (18 per cent.) will receive up to 50p less and about 1.4 million (60 per cent.) will receive between 50p and £1 less than they would otherwise have gained as a result of the proposed changes to the available scale margin, the first increase since 1968. These figures take account of the number of claimants who will be better off because they will become entitled to age-related heating additions or to higher heating additions.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the savings that will result (a) in 1984–85 and (b) in a full year from changes in the available scale margin in November; and what part of these savings is attributable to the extension of the available scale margin to heating additions and what part to the increase in the available scale margin.
§ Dr. BoysonThe proposed uprating will cost about £550 million in 1984–85 and about £1.6 billion in a full year. The savings which will result from the proposed changes to the available scale margin and to heating additions are broken down as follows:
Estimated savings £ million 1984–85 1985–86 Increases to available scale margin *4 11 Applying available scale margin to heating additions *27 75 Gross savings *30 86 Less Cost of extending title to heating editions -9 -23 Net savings 21 63 * Figures rounded.