§ 206. Mr. Jerry HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to improve the benefit entitlement of disabled young people.
§ Mr. ScottYes. We propose that where single young people of 16 to 17 who qualify for the disability premium are claiming income support independently from their parents, they should in future be entitled to the higher rate of personal allowance normally appropriate for those of 18 to 24. Thus their income support rate, including the premium, will rise from £37.30 to £44.20.
We estimate that this will help some 4,000 disabled young people at an annual cost of £1,500,000. Regulations to provide for this change are being laid today, with a view to bringing it into effect from 2 July 1990.
724Wbe provided. The offsetting staff savings will fall in very small numbers over approximately 450 local offices throughout the country. About 200 new posts will be created to form the headquarters of the agency, but because of efficiency savings overall there will be no commensurate increase in the Department's total manpower.