§ Mr. GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what alterations he plans to make to income support provision for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottI am pleased to announce that all people, including asylum seekers, who are entitled to urgent case payments will in future receive the appropriate income support premiums, to which they are not entitled at present.
This follows a commitment I gave during the Committee stage of the Social Security Bill to consider the position of asylum seekers who claim income support.
Families, in particular, who are eligible for the payments will find themselves significantly better off as a result of these changes. All such families will gain £6.50 a week; lone parents will gain £10.40 a week, and families 541W with a disabled child £13.00 a week. The representations in Committee referred to the level of benefit paid under the old rules to a lone parent with a disabled child. These changes will provide an extra £16.90 a week in those circumstances.
I intend to lay before the House regulations to bring these beneficial changes into effect from July.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give for 1978, 1979 and 1988 for each social security office and each social security region, the number of(a) claimants and (b) dependants on (i) supplementary benefit or income support and (ii) family income support or family credit.
§ Mr. Peter LloydI shall let the hon. Member have such information as can be obtained as soon as possible.