§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will amend regulations 10 and 10A of the single payments regulations to enable payments to be made where the claimant has become the tenant or owner of an unfurnished home on the date of claim, as well as within the 28 days preceding that date; whether, in certain cases, payments are already made in these circumstances; and what guidance the office of the chief adjudication officer has given on this aspect of the interpretation of the 28 days rule.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 9 November 1987]: The regulations referred to allow a single payment to be made where the claimant has become the tenant or owner of unfurnished accommodation
within the 28 days immediately preceding the date of claim".I understand that, in response to inquiries, the office of the chief adjudication officer has advised that a claim should not be disallowed simply because the claimant made that claim on the same date that he obtained a tenancy or ownership of unfurnished accommodation. A commissioner's decision covering this point is currently awaited. I should wish to await that decision before considering whether any further action is necessary.