HC Deb 27 June 1984 vol 62 c452W
Mr. Gordon Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether social security offices have been instructed to require from miners, or their families, separate declarations of payments made to them by local authorities.

Dr. Boyson

When a person claims supplementary benefit he is required to make a complete declaration of his resources. Each claimant is asked whether he, his partner or any dependent child living with him has any money coming in. Nevertheless it was found that in certain areas where local authorities were known to be making payments to miners or their families, such payments were not being declared. Claimants are therefore being asked specifically about payments from local authorities in some areas where it is known that local authorities are making them, to remove any doubts about the need for such resources to be declared.