§ Mr. Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish the rates of weekly payment and time limit set for each of the Scottish offices of his Department under the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements and Resources) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1985; how many claimants aged under 26 years will be affected; and what is his estimate of the annual savings in Scotland which will accrue from these changes;
170W(2) what rates of weekly payment and duration of stay have been authorised for Dundee under the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements and Resources) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1985; how many claimants aged under 26 years will be affected in each of the Dundee, East and West offices: and what is his estimate of yearly savings.
§ Mr. WhitneyDetails of the maximum amounts of supplementary benefit allowed for ordinary board and lodging and the periods for payment as a boarder for certain unemployed clamants aged 25 and under are set out in annex B of the Government's response to the report of the Social Security Advisory Committee (Cmnd. 9467), a copy of which is in the Library. Separate figures on the numbers of affected claimants and the estimated savings in Dundee and Scotland are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Ms Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of people in the borough of Southwark claiming supplementary benefit in January; and what was the corresponding figure for each of the preceding six years.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe Borough of Southwark is covered by nine of the department's offices and their boundaries are not conterminous. The total number of persons claiming supplementary benefit from those offices in February (the nearest date to the month requested for which figures are available) of each year since 1979 was:
Year Number 1979 47,637 1980 46,583 1981 53,711 1982 67,903 1983 76,883 1984 81,896 1985* 90,403 * The figure for February 1985 is provisional.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will identify or estimate the number of recipients of supplementary benefit in the south west of Wales and the south west region, in February of each year since 1983.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe number of persons in receipt of supplementary benefit in the south-west of Wales and the south western region in February of each year since 1983 was:
South West Wales South Western Region 1983 64,933 309,719 1984 67,613 315,589 *1985 73,250 336,381 * The figure for February 1985 is provisional.
§ Mr. Sean Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average payment of social security benefits to unemployed claimants in each region of Great Britain.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.