§ Mr. Roy Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the extent of the financial loss likely to be suffered by the unemployed, sick and disabled as a result of his review of central heating allowance;
(2) if he will monitor the effect of his recent review to ascertain how much benefit will be lost by first time claimants for central heating allowances after 5 August.
§ Mr. NewtonNo-one will have a central heating addition withdrawn as a result of the proposal announced by my right hon. Friend on 18 June: this was that no new awards of these additions should be made with effect from
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Hereford District General Hospital 1980 1981 1982 1983 †1984 All specialties In-patient cases 2,874 3,335 3,539 3,317 3,669 *Day cases 703 639 484 669 584 Out-patient attendances: New attendances 4,245 4,622 4,710 5,097 5,559 Total attendances 17,303 18,220 18,891 21,280 21,232 Surgical specialties In-patient cases 2,231 2,438 2,640 2,315 2,605 Day cases 547 487 484 669 584 * Figures for 1980 and 1981 included attendances by psycho-geriatric patients which were subsequently coded as regular day patients. † Provisional. 5 August. The current rates of central heating additions are £2.10 and £4.20 a week, depending on the size of the home.
We have no plans for a specific monitoring exercise on the effects of these changes. Information on central heating additions in payment will however continue to be collected as part of our annual statistical inquiry. I refer the hon. Member to our estimates of the effects of the change in entitlement to these additions contained in my reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Govan on 1 July at column 61.
A large number of claimants, including many who are long-term sick or disabled, will of course be entitled to heating additions under other provisions, in some cases at a higher rate than either of the central heating additions. As my right hon. Friend also announced on 18 June, all sick and disabled householders receiving the long-term rate of benefit will from November be automatically entitled to at least the lower rate of heating addition.