§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners currently receive heating additions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonThe final results of the "Annual Statistical Enquiry" for December 1983 are not yet available. Provisional figures suggest that the number of supplementary pensioners receiving heating additions in December 1983 was somewhat over 1.4 million.
§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will estimate the additional number of pensioners who will benefit from the extension of heating additions; and if he will make a statement.
(2) what extra help the very elderly will receive following changes in calculating additions for heating; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonWe estimate that about 80,000 supplementary pensioners aged 65 to 69 will receive basic rate heating additions (£2.10 a week) and about 90,000 aged 85 or over will receive higher rate heating additions (£5.20 a week) from this week as a result of changes we have made to the supplementary benefit regulations. Taken together with the associated change to the available472W scale margin, the net effect will be to give those affected over 85 up to £2.60 a week more than they would otherwise have received — the exact figure varying according to what other additional payments they were receiving previously.