§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what basis the personal allowance and premium rates in the income support applicable amounts are calculated.
§ Mr. Peter LloydAs a first step in setting the benefit levels, illustrative rates were constructed which delivered roughly the same amounts of money to various types of 139W claimants as they had been receiving under supplementary benefit. These were then adjusted up or down and the effects on claimants were studied using a computer model. The outcome of this process was the illustrative rates given in the technical annex to the 1985 White Paper. The personal allowance and premium rates for income support, on its introduction in April 1988, were obtained by a similar process using the latest statistics on numbers of beneficiaries and with adjustments to provide help towards the requirement to make a minimum contribution to domestic rates. Further adjustments have been made as part of this year's uprating.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he added a phrase to the Department of Social Security notification of award form which states that the applicable amount is the total amount that the law says you need to live on.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe current wording on the notice of assessment (form A 14N), which advises claimants how their income support is calculated, dates from the introduction of income support in April 1988.