Into Sociai Security

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Social Security benefits and pensions are due to be increased in November 1980: but this year the so-called annual "uprating" will mean a severe drop in the living standards of pensioners and social security claimants.

Many of the proposals Social Security No. 1 and No. 2 Bills will be operative from November.

In the past, pensions have increased with prices or ea rnings -whichever is the higher.

Prices From November, they will be linked to prices only. Pensions will be increased by 162%, which is the government's estimate of the increase in prices between November 1979 and November 1980-but the increase will be completely inadequate because inflation is already 20% and the cost of living will rise even more between now and November.

For all other national insurance benefits, the increase will be even less.

As a part of Tory policy, sickness and unemployment benefit, maternity, allowances and invalidity pension will be increased by 5% less than the estimated rise in prices-i.e. 11½%.

Child Benefit will only go up by 75p per child and the parent family addition will rise from £2.50 to £3.00.

There will be many changes in the Supplementary Benefit Scheme from November resulting from the implementation of the Supplementary Benefit The review was planned to simplify the scheme-but on a "no cost" basis, and what it represents is a major cut in benefits.

The Supplementary Benefits Commission will be abolished and many decisions at present made by the SBC will be made Officers acting on behalf of the Secretary of State.

On many of these decisions claimants will have no right of • appeal. There will be much less discretion in making payments and invididual local DHSS : officers will have more responsibility (with no additional pay).

Tories in conference

At present supplementary benefit claimants are entitled to claim "exceptional needs payments" for repair and replacement of clothing, footwear, bedding and household goods and these payments are very. common.

the rules on "exceptional needs payments" will be tightened up and they will only be made "in very exceptional circumstances"

There will be a reduction in the money allocated to rent and rates. At present the amount depends on the number of people living in the household, where there are other adults sharing accomodation with the claimant.

Cut in benefit

From November a standard contribution of £4.60 for each adult non-dependant will be introduced which will mean a cut in the total amount of benefit paid.

At present a smaller amount is taken off for adult nondependants who are themselves receiving retirement pensions or other national insurance benefit.

But in November the standard £4.60 will apply to them also. And claimants with savings of over £2,000 will no longer be entitled to supplementary benefit.

This will affect people who have received redundancy payments or other lump sum payments of insurances.

The cuts will also affect youth.

At present school leavers can claim benefit at the end of the term they leave school:

But after November, a school leaver aged between 16 and 19 will not be able to claim benefit until the end of the holiday period following his or her last term at school:

This means that someone leaving school during the winter term or at the end of it will not be able to claim benefit before the first Monday in January.

This will mean that for that period the unemployment figures will be artificially reduced as school leavers will not be signing on for benefit.

Occupational pensions and sick pay from employers will be taken into account in full when assessing benefit.

At present, some of it is disregarded.

Sponsored immigrants will not be eligible to claim benefit as their relatives will be deemed to be responsible for them. (There will be no right of appeal on this).

A new category of officers will be created to deal with 'problem cases'. This means that many of the poor, for example, single parents or blacks, will be singled out as "problems".

All these proposals will cause more conflict between DHSS staff and claimants. They mean return to the days of the National Assistance Board and Poor Relief when claimants had no rights.

There will be much more emphasis on fraud and abuse and less on the welfare of claimants.

It is particularly disturbing

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Tightened From November, however,