§ Mrs. Beckettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what allowance for heating costs is made in calculating basic levels of supplementary benefit.
§ Dr. BoysonHeating costs are part of the normal day-to-day expenses for which supplementary benefit is provided, but there is no separately identifiable element in the basic rates of supplementary benefit specifically provided for heating costs. Supplementary benefit heating additions at various rates are however payable to those on supplementary benefit who need to spend extra on heating on grounds of age, ill health, disability or because their homes are hard to heat.
§ Mrs. Beckettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will change the supplementary benefit regulations so that his officers may award compensatory payments to families entitled to free school meals to cover periods when such meals are unavailable such as holiday periods.
§ Dr. BoysonNo. The supplementary benefit scale rates—on which the calculation of a person's supplementary524W benefit entitlement is based—are intended to meet all normal day-to-day needs including food. School meals form an additional benefit, provided by local education authorities, which is ignored in assessing a person's entitlement to supplementary benefit. It would not, therefore, be appropriate for additional compensatory payments of supplementary benefit to be made when such meals are unavailable.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many young people aged 18 to 20 years in Scotland have lost the £3.10 non-dependant rent addition as a result of the recent changes in housing benefits; how many of these young people have subsequently claimed supplementary benefit as single householders; and what are the estimated gross and net savings from the withdrawal of this rent addition in 1983–84 and 1984–85.
§ Dr. BoysonI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his proposed changes to the available scale margin have been sent to the Social Security Advisory Committee for comment.
§ Dr. BoysonThe Social Security Advisory Committee have been informed of the proposed changes and have agreed that the necessary amending regulations should not be referred to them under the provisions of section 10 of the Social Security Act 1980. I understand however that the committee intends to comment on the available scale margin in the context of their evidence to the current review of supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown, Official Report, 25 June, column 354, how many pensioners will lose £1 a week and how many 50p a week.
§ Dr. BoysonIn all, about 1.25 million supplementary pensioners will receive between 50p and £1 a week less, and about 345,000 will receive up to 50p a week less than they would otherwise have done, as a result of the proposed changes in the available scale margin. However, as I said in my reply to my hon. Friend on 25 June at column354, about 170,000 pensioners will be better off because of the proposed extensions to heating additions. Over all, the changes announced by my right hon. Friend on 18 June at column 20–22 will increase expenditure on social security benefits by some £1,600 million.