§ Mr. Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the £1,700,000 made available in 1985 to supplementary benefit claimants for exceptionally severe weather payments was paid to claimants registered at (a) his office in Huddersfield and (b) his office in the Kirklees area as a whole; and how many claimants in the same area qualified for such benefit.
§ Mr. NewtonIn 1985 Huddersfield local offices paid a total of £7,760 to 902 claimants in respect of extra fuel used during a period of exceptionally severe weather. The area of the Kirklees metropolitan borough council is covered by two local offices, Huddersfield and Dewsbury, which between them paid a total of £13,778 to 1,433 claimants.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was paid out in exceptionally severe weather benefits in Dulwich in 1985; and how many claims were accepted.
§ Mr. NewtonInformation is not available in the form requested. Most of the parliamentary constituency of Dulwich is covered by two local offices, Camberwell 373W (Blenheim grove) and Peckham (Bournemouth road). For information concerning these two offices, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to her on 28 February at column 721. A small part of Dulwich is served by the Brixton and Crystal Palace local offices, which between them paid a total of £2,202 to 169 claimants in respect of extra fuel used during the period of exceptionally severe weather last year.
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the current systems for making extra heating payments to supplementary pensioners during exceptionally severe weather will continue after April 1988.
§ Mr. NewtonWe shall be considering further the provisions for exceptionally severe weather payments in the light of the experience of the revised system this winter, as well as of previous arrangements. That consideration will also take account of our broad proposals for reform in the longer term of the social security system, which of course entail the ending of the current regulated arrangements for making single payments of supplementary benefit.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the progress which is being made by local offices of his Department in drawing up lists of elderly people considered to be most in need of supplementary benefits payments during the present cold weather period and in case there is a recurrence of conditions qualifying for extra benefit.
§ Mr. NewtonPensioners, and younger people, who are receiving supplementary benefit or housing benefit supplement can claim an "exceptionally severe weather payment" if their fuel bill is higher than normal because of the recent spell of cold weather. The availability of such payments, and the criteria governing their award, has been widely publicised—notably in an advertisement placed in the national press on 7 and 9 March. Local social security offices have been asked to give such claims priority.
§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consideration has been given to altering the current system for making extra heating payments to supplementary pensioners during exceptionally severe weather.
374W
(Thousands) Number of Beneficiaries Number of Beneficiaries with Supplementary Benefit Number of Beneficiaries with Standard Housing Benefit Retirement* Pension 9.028 1,822 2,570 Widows'* Pension 288 27 200 Widowed Mother's* Allowance 99 — Widows'* Allowance 30 3 Sickness† Benefit 338 20 n.a. Invalidity† Benefit 737 82 n.a. Non-Contributoryt†• Invalidity Pension 153 83 n.a. Housewives Non-Contributory† Invalidity Pension 49 Maternity‡ Allowance 109 4 n.a. Unemployment║ Benefit 905 214 125 Invalid Care¶ Allowance 9 3 n.a. * 30 September 1983 † 2 April 1983 ‡ 31 March 1983 ║ 10 November 1983
§ Mr. NewtonWe shall be considering the provision further in the light of this winter's experience.
§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what parts of Lambeth have been declared to be areas experiencing exceptionally severe weather for the purpose of extra payments for heating to recipients of social security supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. NewtonThe whole of Lambeth was covered by a joint declaration by local offices in the Greater London area that the weather had been exceptionally severe last month.