§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the location of points used for the measuring of the temperatures in the United Kingdom for the purposes of triggering special severe weather payments since 1986.
§ Mr. ScottTemperatures are measured at the national climatological message (MCM) stations. These are listed in the schedules to the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Regulations 1981 and the schedules to the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988, copies of which are in the Library.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the total amount paid since 1986 as severe weather payments; and if he will list these by local office.
§ Mr. ScottThe available information is in the table. Details of the payments for each local office for 1986–87 and 1987–88 are in the Library. For 1988–89, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 5 December 1989 at column157.
Information for each local office for 1989–90 and 1990–91 is not currently available, but will be placed in the Library in due course.
£ Exceptionally cold weather payments 1986–87 10,201,860 1987–88 496,798 Social fund cold weather payments 1988–89 2,510 1989–90 406,481 Total 11,107,649
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the number of applications refused by each DSS office for payment of severe weather allowances since 1986.
§ Mr. ScottDetails of exceptionally cold weather payments for each local office for the winters of 1986–87 and 1987–88 are in the Library. In 1988–89 Social Fund cold weather payments were made only for the area covered by the Department's local office at Galashiels where 174 claims were refused because the eligibility criteria for the payments were not fulfilled. There were 502 successful claims.
Information on refusals for each local office for 1989–90 and for 1990–91 is not currently available, but will be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy to advertise the application forms for special cold weather payments in the appropriate local newspapers.
§ Mr. ScottWhen a weather station triggers, local offices linked with it have been instructed to place an advertisement in the local press. This advertisement includes a claim form for a cold weather payment.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all those social security offices which advertised the application forms for special cold weather payments in their appropriate local newspapers.
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§ Mr. ScottAll social security offices have been instructed to advertise, and are in the process of doing so.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will instruct all local social security offices to advertise the application forms for special cold weather payments in their appropriate local newspapers.
§ Mr. ScottOn 8 February all social security offices were instructed to place such advertisements in appropriate local newspapers.