Cold Weather Payments (Hansard, 18 January 1996)

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what considerations he has given to replacing cold weather payments with an increase in income support; and if he will make a statement. [8448]

§ Mr. Roger Evans
Income support provides for all normal day-to-day living needs including heating. The amount of benefit is based on personal allowances paid according to age and family status and flat rate premiums for groups recognised as having special needs, such as disabled and elderly people and families. Benefit rates are reviewed each year and account is taken of all relevant factors, including any increase in the cost of fuel.
Social fund cold weather payments give extra help to vulnerable people towards heating costs from a sustained period of very cold weather. There are no plans to change the current arrangements.

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a cold weather payment to everyone receiving benefit every winter, irrespective of temperature; and if he will make a statement. [8418]

§ Mr. Evans
The purpose of cold weather payments is to help vulnerable income support recipients with higher heating costs resulting from a sustained period of very cold weather not normally expected to occur in the majority of British winters. A reasonable indication of this is when the average temperature is, or is forecast to be 0 deg. C—freezing point—or below over seven consecutive days. To pay all people receiving benefits, many of whom may not have experienced a sustained cold spell, would not be an effective way of focusing the available resources on those most in need.

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will reassess the appropriateness of the system for triggering cold weather payments, with particular reference to the distance between the weather stations and the areas in which payments are made; and if he will make a statement. [8417]

§ Mr. Evans
After the end of March each year, the Department reviews the effectiveness of the weather station links used during the winter, through liaison and consultation with the Meteorological Office and changes are made if necessary. Weather stations are chosen by the Meteorological Office which are considered representative of the areas they cover, and are sophisticated and reliable enough to provide the quality of data required for the scheme. We are content that the current network of 55 weather stations provides722W straightforward and effective national coverage which at the same time takes reasonable and practicable account of local conditions.

§ Mr. Redmond
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will consider appointing local committees to determine the payment of cold weather payments on basis of need. [8419]

§ Mr. Evans
No. Our aim for the social fund cold weather payment scheme is to have a simple network of weather stations that covers the whole country and allows automatic payments to be made quickly to those most in need. We achieve this by using weather stations chosen by the Meteorological Office which are considered representative of the postcode areas they cover, and are sophisticated and reliable enough to provide the quality of data required for the scheme. The current network of 55 weather stations provides straightforward and effective national coverage which at the same time takes reasonable and practicable account of local conditions. Local committees would bring inequities into a national scheme which is administered efficiently and effectively.

§ Mr. John Morris
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the suitability of Mumbles for assessing temperatures for cold weather payments so far as the upper areas of the Aberavon constituency are concerned. [10117]

§ Mr. Evans
We are content that the current network of 55 weather stations used for the cold weather payment scheme, including Mumbles, provides straightforward and effective national coverage which at the same time takes reasonable and practicable account of local conditions. The effectiveness of all the weather station links used during the winter is reviewed by the Department, through liaison and consultation with the Meteorological Office, after the end of March each year when the scheme ends. If changes to the station links are considered necessary, they are put in place in time for when the scheme operates again in November.

§ Mr. Morris
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which stations used for assessing temperatures for the triggering of cold weather payments did not register sufficiently cold weather since 1 January 1996. [10118]

§ Mr. Evans
The temperatures recorded at the following weather stations used in the cold weather payment scheme have not triggered cold weather payments for a period including 1 January 1996 or later:

Aberporth

Aughton

Bedford
723
Birmingham airport

Boulmer

Bournemouth airport

Brize Norton

Chivenor

Cardiff (Rhoose)

Coltishall

Culdrose

Cilfynydd

Dunkeswell

Easthampstead

Gatwick airport

Heathrow airport

Hertsmonceux

Lerwick

Lyneham

Machrihanish

Manston

Marham

Mumbles

Southampton

St. Mawgan

Stanstead

Stornoway

Tiree

Valley

Wattisham

Yeovilton.