§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, prior to the social security changes of April 1988, how many people were claiming the long-term rate of supplementary benefit; of these how many have lost or will lose in real terms following the abandonment of that rate; and how much he estimates his Department will save over the next two years as a result.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThere were 2.61 million people getting the long-term rate of supplementary benefit in May 1987. How many of these have lost in real terms, and the overall financial effects of the April 1988 changes would require an extensive computer analysis which could be done only at disproportionate cost.