§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money the Government estimate will be saved by only making one special payment per benefit book rather than making one payment per eligible benefit; and how many people will lose money as a result.
§ Mr. ScottThere will be no resultant benefit savings, because that amount of the social security underspend caused by the error in the retail prices index which is not disbursed in the form of special payments is to be donated to charities. The additional administrative complexities and costs of attempting to make one payment per eligible benefit would have been considerable. About 1.75 million people whose benefits are combined will receive a special payment; of these about 175,000 will be undercompensated.