§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how occasional charitable or voluntary payments are treated for income support and housing benefit purposes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PortilloThe first £250 of such payments received in a 52-week period is treated as capital; and any excess is treated as income spread over the number of weeks remaining in that period.
Our monitoring of the operation of the scheme suggests this provision is proving difficult for claimants to understand and for staff to operate. In particular, it is causing administrative inconvenience for some charities. Therefore I propose to amend the regulations as soon as practicable to allow such payments to be treated solely as capital, so bringing the provision into line with the rules for family credit. We shall shortly consult the local authorities on the proposed change for housing benefit.