§ Mr. Pikeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in (a) the north-west region and (b) Burnley in 1979 and each subsequent year.
§ Mr. MajorNorth-western region was formed in 1983 by the amalgamation of the former north-west (Manchester) and north-west (Merseyside) regions with parts of the former northern region. The table shows the number of people receiving supplementary benefit in(a) Burnley and (b) those offices which now form northwestern region.
Figures given show the position at 6 May 1986, the latest available, and at comparable dates for each of the years since 1979.
Burnley Region 1979 10,239 454,955 1980 10,156 458,474 1981 11,984 534,489 1982 14,345 628,573 1983 15,351 672,937 1984 16,167 713,229 1985 17,062 745,329 1986 16,579 762,492 Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action.
§ Mrs. Beckettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what information he has about how long supplementary benefit boarders who are re-classified as non-householders are able to remain in the same accommodation whilst being paid as non-householders; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many supplementary benefit claimants identified in the London south regional surveys as having ceased to claim supplementary benefit after having their benefit reassessed so that they were no longer classified as boarders had again claimed supplementary benefit within (a) one week of having been so reassessed, (b) three weeks 498W of having been reassessed, (c) five weeks of having been reassessed and (d) eight weeks of having been so reassessed;
(3) how many supplementary benefit boarders who were identified in (a) the survey conducted by his Department's London south region and (b) the survey conducted by his Department's Scotland region as having remained in the same accommodation after having been reassessed as a non-householder were still claiming as non-householders in that accommodation (a) one week after they began to be paid at the non-householder rate, (b) three weeks after they began to be paid at this rate and (c) six weeks after they began to be paid at this rate.
§ Mr. NewtonI regret that the information obtained from the London south and Scottish survey cannot be broken down in the way the hon. Member has requested. Both surveys looked at cases after the expiry of their time limits on payment as a boarder. The London south survey was conducted some eight to fourteen weeks after the April 1985 changes and the Scottish survey 15 to 19 weeks after. Parallel surveys held in three social security regions —Midlands, the South West, and London south—in the spring this year reached similar conclusions.