§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the level of the supplementary benefit income disregard in November if its real value was equivalent to November 1974.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe retail price index for November 1984 is not yet available; on the basis of the RPI for October 1984 the information is as follows:
November 1974 £
October 1984 £
Disregard of earnings of person required to register and of other income. 1 3.11 Disregard of earnings of person not required to register and of war and industrial disablement pensions. 2 6.21
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many single payments have been made to households in receipt of supplementary benefit in each of the last five years for which figures are available for (a) draught- proofing materials (b) hot water cylinder jackets and (c) space heating appliances under regulations 18, 9(s) and 9(d), respectively, of the Social Security Supplementary Benefit (Single Payment) Regulations 1981.
§ Mr. WhitneyNo information is available on the number of single payments of supplementary benefit given for hot water cylinder jackets or space heating appliances, or on the number of payments given for draught-proofing materials before 1981. According to the annual statistical inquiries conducted in December 1981 and December 1982 respectively, fewer than 1,000 payments were made for draught-proofing materials in 1981, and about 2,500 payments were made in 1982. Because these figures relate to single payments made during the 12 months preceding the date of each inquiry to people still in receipt of supplementary benefit at the time of that inquiry, they are under-estimates of the total number of single payments made during the year. Figures are not yet available on the number of payments made for draught-proofing materials in 1983.