§ Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost to the public funds in the current financial year and with retrospective effect to 6 April, of entitling all pensioners who are married or living together to be granted separately a communty charge rebate.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI regret that it is not possible to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested. It is a fundamental principle of the income-related benefit system that married and unmarried couples are assessed together. The wide range of assumptions needed would make any estimate of the additional costs of assessing pensioner couples separately for community charge benefit both arbitrary and uncertain.