HC Deb 25 February 1985 vol 74 cc73-4W
Mrs. McCurley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why £20 million of the money allocated for special heating allowances has not been taken up in Scotland.

Mr. Whitney

Money is not specifically allocated for heating additions payable to people living in Scotland. There are no reliable estimates of the number of people in Scotland who do not get heating additions to which they are entitled. The Government continue to promote take-up of supplementary benefit generally. Claim forms are given to all retirement pensioners and widows and to all unemployed and all sickness benefit claimants. The Department also co-operates as fully as possible at local level with responsible take-up campaigns mounted by local authorities. Staff are trained to be alert to entitlement to heating additions and postal claim forms used by unemployed people have specific questions intended to establish entitlement. Heating additions are also referred to in a number of leaflets published by DHSS, in particular "Help with Heating Costs" (SB17), copies of which are available from local social security offices.