§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 15 April,Official Report, column 91, how many family credit entitlements of less than 50p a week were decided in 1990; and what would be the cost of (a) paying family credit of less than 50p a week and (b) entitling families with such awards to social fund payments and remission of NHS charges.
§ Mr. JackInformation is not readily available for the whole of 1990 as retrieval from records could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information for the period from August 1990 to date indicates there are about 4,800 claims for family credit a year where the entitlement is less than 50p a week and therefore is not payable.
The cost of paying the assessed entitlement in those cases would be around £30,000 a year. There would also be additional administration costs.
Non-entitlement to family credit does not prevent some further help being given to families. For example, help with NHS charges is also available to anyone on a low income through the NHS low income scheme. People can also apply for crisis loans from the social fund whether or not they are in receipt of family credit, and if they are in receipt of housing benefit or community charge benefit, they can also receive funeral payments. The additional cost of entitling families with family credit awards of less than 50p to maternity and funeral payments from the social fund and to automatic full remission of NHS charges would depend on the extent to which they were already entitled to such benefits and to the extent to which they needed to make use of them. From information available about social fund maternity and funeral payments to existing family credit recipients the extra cost is estimated at around £20,000 a year at 1990–91 levels. Information is not available to enable estimates to be made on the same basis in respect of remission of NHS charges.