§ Mr. SillarsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received from the Campaign for Cold Weather Credits; if he has costed its proposals; and what action he now proposes.
§ Mr. ScottWe have received a letter dated 17 October 1991 from the Campaign for Cold Weather Credits. Its proposals have not been costed in detail, but it quotes an 619W estimated cost of £500 million per year. We have recently introduced improvements to the cold weather payments scheme for the coming winter by introducing automatic payment based on forecasting as well as actual periods of very cold weather, and by abolishing the capital rule. We will continue to keep this scheme under review.