Severe Weather Payments (Hansard, 15 February 1991)

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the first severe weather payments, authorisied under the Prime Minister's announcement of 7 February 1991,Official Report, columns 408–9, will be made.

§ Mr. Scott
Some payments have already been made.

§ Mr. Wallace
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the locations where temperatures did not trigger off any cold weather payments in the week commencing 4 February.

§ Mr. Scott
The 24 weather stations listed in the table did not trigger. However, 7 February is deemed to be the trigger day for all weather stations which did not actually trigger, and all DSS offices have been instructed to action claims for cold weather payments.
Weather stations deemed to have triggered

Aberdeen airport

Boulmer

Carlisle

Coningsby

Culdrose

Edinburgh airport

Eskmeals

Kinloss

Kirkwall

Leeds weather centre

Leeming

Lerwick

Leuchars

Machrihanish

Mount Batten

Mumbles

St. Mawgen

Southampton weather centre

Stornoway

Tynemouth

Valley

Whitby coastguard

Whithorn

Wick

§ Mr. Winnick
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if money saved by a pensioner towards funeral costs is taken into account when pensioners on income support apply for the cold weather payment; and what discretion is given to DSS offices on this.

§ Mr. Scott
The first £1,000 savings of anyone aged over 60 or over (or who has a partner who is 60 or over) are ignored. Any savings above that figure, for whatever purpose, are taken into account. The treatment of savings is set out in the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988 and DSS offices have no discretion in this area.

§ Mr. Winnick
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department is taking steps to advertise in the national and provincial press and on television and radio the cold weather payments available to those who are eligible.

§ Mr. Scott
Advertisements containing a form for eligible people to claim cold weather payments began to appear in Scottish local and regional newspapers in January and in England and Wales from 4 February. From Friday 15 February advertisements will also appear in appropriate national newspapers. Advertising space has not been taken on commercial television or radio but considerable publicity has been given to the payments through these media.
632W

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is his estimate of the number of households who will receive a severe weather payment under the terms of the Prime Minister's announcement of 7 February 1991,Official Report, columns 408–9;
(2) what is his estimate of the number of households who would be eligible to claim severe weather payments in a week in which the seven consecutive days' temperature requirement is waived.

§ Mr. Scott
We estimate that about 2.2 million households are eligible to receive a cold weather payment for a week in which all the weather stations trigger or are deemed to trigger. The number who will receive a payment depends on the number who claim. We are undertaking extensive advertising to ensure that eligible people are aware of the payments.

§ Mr. Winnick
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of DSS offices who have paid out cold weather payments; and what is this as a percentage of all offices.

§ Mr. Scott
All DSS offices have been instructed to make cold weather payments.

§ Mr. Winnick
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of pensioners who are likely to be eligible for the cold weather payments; and what percentage of total pensioners this is.

§ Mr. Scott
We estimate that nearly 1.5 million people of pensionable age¹ are eligible to receive a cold weather payment, representing around 13 per cent. of the total number of people of pensionable age.
¹ Men aged 65 and over, and women aged 60 and over.
Source: Annual Statistical Enquiry 1989.

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security under what legislation the Prime Minister's announcement of 7 February 1991,Official Report, columns 408–9, on cold weather payments, will be enacted.

§ Mr. Scott
My right hon. Friend announced our intention to increase by £1 the weekly amount currently available under the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988. Amending regulations will be laid shortly.
Where a local weather station has triggered, local offices are instructed to make payments of £6, of which £5 is within the current statutory framework and the additional £1 is on an extra statutory basis. In areas where the local weather station has not triggered, ex gratia payments of £6 will be made.

§ Mr. Winnick
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how long the current waiving of the cold weather payments regulations will endure; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Scott
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 12 February we shall continue to monitor the situation carefully and if the exceptionally cold weather continues we shall take similar measures.