§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the annual saving from restricting income support and other benefits to people between the ages of 16 and 18 years. [22717]
§ Mr. Roger EvansYoung people aged 18 years are entitled to income support under the normal rules; 16 and 17-year-olds not required to be available for work are similarly entitled. There is no restriction on access to any other benefit.
Since 1988, the Government have further encouraged unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds to take the more positive option of youth training in place of dependence on benefit. Reliable estimates of the number of claims that would have been made by this group under the previous arrangements are not practicable. They would be dependent on a variety of economic and other assumptions.