§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether his Department treats as income, for the purposes of assessing income support entitlement, the fees paid by an estranged partner to a person for nursery costs who is claiming income support.
§ Mr. BurtRegulations 54 and 55 of the Income Support (General) Regulations require that, with certain specified exceptions, any periodic payments made by a liable relative to their estranged partner are treated as income. These exceptions do not include payments for the purpose of meeting nursery fees.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will make it his policy to establish a clear food element within income support payments;
(2) if he will make it his policy to introduce a boarders' premium for income support claimants to cover the additional costs of living in accommodation without cooking facilities.