§ Baroness Jegerasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which areas of Scotland have been allocated as eligible for special supplementary benefit payments as a result of exceptionally severe weather; and on what criteria the decision was taken.
§ Lord GlenarthurIt is for the independent adjudication authorities to decide whether the conditions in the regulations governing entitlement to supplementary benefit have been satisfied or not. The criteria for deciding whether claimants are entitled to payments under Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Regulation 26—help with the fuel bills in periods of exceptionally severe weather—were referred to in the Answer I gave to the noble Baroness on 28th January, at cols. 554–556, and are set out in paragraphs 7426–7459 and appendix 19 to theS manual (a copy of which is in the Library). I understand that on the basis of these criteria the Chief Adjudication Officer has not so far this winter advised local adjudication officers that the "exceptionally severe weather" condition has been satisfied in any part of Scotland.