§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in respect of the press release issued by his Department on 4 October 1984 stating that regulations would be laid as soon as possible to amend the supplementary benefit rules to allow payments to strikers for funeral expenses for which they are responsible, (a) when he referred proposals for this amendment to the Social Security Advisory Committee, (b) whether the Social Security Advisory Committee have responded to him and (c) what action he intends to take.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe Social Security Advisory Committee agreed on 15 May 1985, in accordance with section 10(2)(b) of the Social Security Act 1980, that the proposal to amend the Supplementary Benefit (Trade Disputes and Recovery from Earnings) Regulations 1980 to allow payments to strikers in respect of funeral expenses for which they are responsible should not be referred to it. Amending regulations are in course of being prepared and will be laid before the House shortly.