HC Deb 28 January 1987 vol 109 cc284-5W
Mr. Best

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider giving financial assistance to those persons who have been in receipt of supplementary benefit but on the death of their spouse do not qualify for a single payment to help with funeral costs by virtue of the immediate receipt of widow's pension.

Mr. Major

At present the receipt of widow's allowance paid at a higher rate for the first six months of widowhood hood can mean that a widow, formerly dependent on supplementary benefit, temporarily ceases to be so when her husband dies and is therefore ineligible under the current rules to receive a single payment, including help with funeral expenses. This difficulty should be largely overcome in future by two successive changes introduced by the Social Security Act 1986. These are, from April 1987, the extension of help with funeral expenses under the social fund to those receiving housing benefit or family income supplement (as well as those receiving supplementary benefit), and, from April 1988, the restructuring of widows' benefit to divide initial assistance on widowhood between a weekly benefit and a lump sum. This lump sum, probably £1,000, will be disregarded for funeral expenses purposes.

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give a breakdown by ward in the constituency of Enfield, North of the number of supplementary benefit claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lyell

This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of supplementary benefit claimants in Enfield, North on 31 December each year since 1979.

Mr. Lye11

The constituency of Enfield, North is covered by the Department's local office at Edmonton but its boundaries are not conterminous with those of the constituency. The table shows the number of people receiving supplementary benefit from that office on 10 December 1986 — the nearest available date — and on comparable dates since 1979.

Number
1979 11,044
1980 12,488
1981 15,352
1982 16,516
1983 16,667
1984 18,256
1985 17,539
1986 17,721
Source: 100 per cent count of cases in action.

Weather station 1979–80 abcd 1980–81 abcd 1981–82 abcd 1982–83 abcd 1983–84 abcd 1984–85 abcd 1985–86 abcd
Scotland
Aberdeen Airport 0000 0000 5543 0000 2221 2100 3221
Dumfries 1 1 1 1 0000 2111 1000
Edinburgh Airport 0000 0000 5555 0000 2100 2221 3320
Eskdalemuir (Galashiels) 3110 2000 5555 1000 2211 4433 7553
Fort William 1 1 1 1 1 2222 2110
Glasgow Airport 0000 0000 5544 0000 1100 3322 3210
Kinloss (Inverness) 0000 0000 4442 0000 2210 2221 4111
Kirkwall 0000 0000 2110 0000 0000 1000 0000
Lerwick 1100 1100 2211 0000 0000 1100 0000
Leuchars (Dundee) 0000 0000 5552 0000 1110 2100 3000
Machriphanish (Campbeltown) 0000 0000 4210 0000 0000 0000 0000
Prestwick (Ayr) 0000 0000 4433 0000 0000 3220 2220
Stornaway 0000 0000 2110 0000 0000 0000 0000
Whithorn 1 0000 1111 0000 0000 1000 0000
Wick 1000 1000 2222 0000 1100 1111 1100
England
Aughton (Liverpool) 0000 0000 4432 0000 0000 3221 3200
Bedford RAE 1 0000 5544 2100 1100 3332 4444
Binbrook (Hull) 0000 0000 4433 1000 1000 3321 4432
Birmingham Airport 1 1 5544 2000 1100 3332 4442
Blackpool Airport 0000 0000 4433 0000 0000 3322 2200
Boscombe Down (Sarum) 0000 0000 3320 0000 0000 3333 4432
Boulmer (Berwick) 0000 0000 3333 0000 0000 0000 1000
Bournemouth Airport 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 3333 3320
Bristol 1 1 1110 0000 0000 2221 2000
Brize Norton (Oxford) 1000 0000 4322 0000 0000 3332 4432
Carlisle 0000 0000 5543 1000 0000 3210 2110
Chivenor (Barnstaple) 1 1 1 1 1 2221 1
Coltishall (Norwich) 0000 0000 3321 0000 0000 3332 4321
Coningsby (Boston) 0000 0000 0000 1000 3211 4222
Culdrose (Penzance) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
Easthampstead 0000 0000 3331 0000 0000 3333 4442
Eskmeals (Whitehaven) 0000 0000 2211 0000 0000 1000 1000
Exeter 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 3221 2000
Finningley (Sheffield) 0000 0000 5444 0000 2000 2222 4421
Gatwick Airport (Guildford) 0000 0000 3220 0000 0000 3333 4332
Heathrow Airport (London) 0000 0000 3110 0000 0000 3321 3210
Herstmonceux (Brighton) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 3333 4332
Honington (Bury St. Edmunds) 0000 0000 4333 1000 0000 4333 4442
Leeds Weather Centre 1 1 1 1 1 1 2200
Leeming (Newcastle) 0000 0000 5555 0000 1000 3221 5321
Lyneham (Chippenham) 0000 0000 4322 2100 0000 3333 4443
Manchester Airport 0000 0000 4331 0000 0000 3310 2200
Manston (Dover) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 3332 4331
Marham (King's Lynn) 1 1 1 1 0000 3333 4432
Mount Batten (Plymouth) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1000
Okehampton 1100 0000 1000 2222 0000 3333 4444
St. Mawgan (Truro) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1100 2100