Income Support (Hansard, 19 December 1994)

§ Mr. Bernie Grant
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to address the needs of parents on income support who are having difficulty supporting their student sons and daughters in further education; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Roger Evans
Parents in receipt of income support or other social security benefits are entitled to child benefit and a dependency addition for any dependent child aged under 19 who is in full-time non-advanced education.
We believe that young people remaining at school after their 19th birthday to complete their studies, and their families, should turn for any necessary additional financial assistance to the sources of funding available through the educational maintenance system.

§ Mr. Dewar
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases income support payments by his Department were discontinued within nine months of payment commencing; and what percentage that represented of the total number of claimants in the latest period for which figures are available.

§ Mr. Roger Evans
The information is not available in the form requested. The income support statistical inquiries collect information only on the stock of people actually in receipt of benefit on a single day each quarter.

§ Mr. Pike
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to alter the claims and payments regulations for income support in order to amend preserved rights to income support and end the consequent two-tier system in sheltered housing; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Roger Evans
The reference to sheltered housing is inferred to mean persons living in residential care and nursing homes.
932W
Preserved rights to income support at the higher levels are available to most people living in residential care and nursing homes on 31 March 1993. Preserved rights were introduced to provide reassurance to vulnerable people that the introduction of community care would not affect their eligibility for the higher levels of income support and to assist in the smooth changeover to the new community care arrangements. Preserved rights are lost only if the resident is absent from residential care for a specific length of time, depending on the circumstances. We have no plans to change these arrangements.