§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security where is the weather station which provides the recordings to enable cold weather payments to be made to citizens resident in Inverclyde; what proposals he has to change the location of the weather station in relation to Inverclyde; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of the cold weather payments scheme is a matter for Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 1 December 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking where is the weather station which provides the recordings to enable cold weather payments to be made to citizens resident in Inverclyde; what proposals he has to change the location of the weather station in relation to Inverclyde.The weather station which provides the information used to determine Cold Weather Payments in Inverclyde is Glasgow Airport. There are no proposals to use another weather station for the Inverclyde area.I home that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.