§ Mr. Keyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to lay regulations covering the new income-related benefit schemes from April 1988.
§ Mr. ScottI have today laid before Parliament four sets of draft regulations: the Income Support (General) Regulations1987;the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987: the Family Credit (General) Regulations 1987; and the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987.
Taken together, these regulations provide the detailed framework for the new system of income-related benefits which is to he introduced in April next year. They also include the rates which will apply to the new benefits. The benefit rates included in the regulations are the same as the proposed rates announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Social Services, in his statement on 27 October at columns 179–81.
The benefit rates in the draft housing benefit regulations have been the subject of consultation with the local authority associations whose representatives have been taken into account.
I have also today placed in the Libraries of both Houses, draft copies of the proposed transitional regulations covering income support, housing benefit and family credit so that the income-related benefit regulations can he considered as a total package. The transitional regulations will be made and laid before the House as soon as the general regulations (with which they are linked) have been approved. They will provide transitional protection for existing recipients of supplementary benefit and family income supplement who remain eligible for income support or family credit.