§ Mr. MaxtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many requests for attachment to income support in connection with non-payment of the community charge have been made by each regional and island council in Scotland; and how many requests for attachments for outstanding community charge debts have been refused because there were too many existing attachments.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardNo records are maintained in local offices of the number of applications made by individual local authorities for deductions from income support to clear community charge arrears. No information is available on the reason for refusal of requests for deductions from income support.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support claimants are still receiving transitional protection and have not had a benefit increase since 1987; how many of these are people with disabilities; and how many are pensioners.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardShortly after last April's uprating benefits, the number of income support claimants receiving statutory transitional additions was about 110,000. About 86,000 of these were receiving a total benefit income at their old supplementary benefit level, of whom around 19,000 claimants were in receipt of the pensioner premium and some 7,000 were disabled people aged under 60.
Special transitional additions for people with former high supplementary benefit additions for domestic assistance are uprated every year. Older and disabled pensioners on income support received a cash increase last October, through improvements to the pensioner premiums which did not erode transitional protection. In addition, increases in mobility allowance and attendance allowance are normally disregarded. As a result of these measures, about 24,000 of the claimants still on transitional protection have received some increase in their total benefit income.