§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost to his Department of issuing a leaflet to every young person sitting general certificate of education or certificate of secondary education examinations explaining the conditions under which they may claim supplementary benefit, in the light of the decision of the tribunal of commissioners R(F)2/85.
§ Mr. MajorIt is not usual to issue leaflets which provide full details of complex conditions of entitlement. However, the basic cost of a leaflet for young people sitting examinations would be some £40,000 plus distribution costs which would be relatively high since there is no mechanism for such a distribution.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement as to when a young person who is 16 years old after 1 February but attends school in the current term just to take examinations is entitled to supplementary benefit, following the decision of the tribunal of commissioners R(F)2/85 and circular S51/85.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the saving to the social security budget of increasing supplementary benefit by 1.1 per cent. instead of 1.2 per cent. in July 1986 in (a) 1986–87 and (b) a full year.
§ Mr. NewtonIf the main supplementary benefit scale rates were to be increased by 1.2 per cent. this July instead of by £1.1 per cent., the additional cost of the uprating in 1986–87 would be £7 million, equivalent to £11 million in a full year.