§ Mr. BuchanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services for what reasons it is considered necessary to ask for the precise income, instead of whether over or under £49.20, of a non-dependant in regulation 63(1) of the Housing Benefit Regulations, April 1988.
§ Mr. ScottThe threshold below which deductions in respect of non-dependants in remunerative work are made at a lower rate is subject to regular review. It would not be practicable to renew stocks of claim forms each time the threshold was reviewed. Moreover, it would be inevitable that some old stocks would remain in circulation after the rate had been changed, thus misleading claimants and necessitating additional inquiries.