§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the numbers of claimants in receipt of invalidity benefit who will suffer a net loss of income arising from the recent uprating of invalidity benefit and its impact upon entitlement to housing and poll tax rebates and free national health service prescriptions.
§ Mr. ScottDetailed information is not available. However, invalidity benefit recipients who are also in receipt of housing benefit and community charge benefit will normally be better off following an uprating. This is because applicable amounts for housing benefit and community charge benefit are uprated at the same time as increased invalidity benefit is taken into account. In addition, the housing benefit and community charge benefit tapers operate so that claimants normally retain at least part of any increase in their income. The applicable amounts used in assessing entitlement to help with prescription charges under the NHS low income scheme are also uprated at the same time as invalidity benefit.