§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what special provisions he intends to make to enable claimants of supplementary benefit who need essential household furniture and who receive and subsequently submit his Department's Girocheques made payable to a particular furniture shop to be aided in purchasing furniture elsewhere in the event of the business to whom the Girocheque is originally made payable either going bankrupt or closing down.
§ Mr. WhitneyWe have no plans to introduce special provisions to deal with the situation described by the hon. Member. To our knowledge we are aware of only one case where the supplier closed down after receiving from the claimant a Girocheque issued by the Department but before supplying all the items for which payment had been awarded; a further payment has since been made in that case.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the information given in the answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 304, to the hon. Member for Walsall, North and in the same format, on supplementary benefit claimants and for the latest dates for which figures are now available.
§ Mr. WhitneyI regret that more up-to-date information is not yet available.