§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how much an unemployed single person, aged 24 years and who receives (a) heating additions and (b) the average amount of single payment per annum, will lose in benefit following the introduction of income support, using the assumptions in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex of the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691), and calculated on (i) a weekly and (ii) a yearly basis;
(2) how much a 60 to 79-year-old single pensioner who currently receives (a) diet, (b) clothing, (c) heating additions and (d) the average single payment help will lose under his new income support scheme, using the assumptions in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex of the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691);
(3) how much a pensioner couple who both currently receive (a) diet, (b) clothing, (c) heating additions and (d) the average single payment help and are aged between 60 and 79 years will lose under his new income support scheme using the assumptions in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex of the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691);
(4) using the assumptions in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex to the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691), how many claimants who currently receive supplementary benefit will receive no help under the new income support scheme;
318W(5) using the assumptions in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex to the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691), how many claimants who now receive housing benefit will receive no help under the new income support scheme.
§ Mr. NewtonI shall let the hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what deduction he proposes in income support for the families of workers engaged in industrial disputes.
§ Mr. NewtonSection 6(1)(b) of the Social Security (No. 2) Act 1980 requires a deduction, now £17, to be made from any supplementary benefit otherwise payable for the dependants of a person involved in a trade dispute. We intend to make similar provision in the income support scheme; and meanwhile, of course, the deduction will continue to be uprated in accordance with section 6(2) of the same Act.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in his assumption of the pensioner premium for income support in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex to the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691), what allowance is made for heating additions currently paid;
(2) how allowances for heating will be made under the new income support scheme;
(3) on what basis the assumptions of the basic income support and premium rates for (a) a single pensioner aged under 80 years, (b) a single pensioner over 80 years and (c) a lone parent in paragraph 2.4 of the technical annex of the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691), were calculated.
§ Mr. NewtonThe illustrative assumptions take account of pressures faced by different groups and the present pattern of help, including heating additions.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how exceptionally severe weather allowances will be paid under the new income support scheme.
§ Mr. NewtonThe income support scheme, like the present supplementary benefit scale rates and weekly additions, is designed to make regular weekly payments, not single payments of the kind to which the hon. Member refers.