asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many school leavers were included in the schemes for help with winter fuel bills in each of the past three years.

I have been asked to reply.The £5 lump sum paid under the 1978 and 1979 electricity discount schemes went automatically to all recipients of supplementary benefit. As the ½ million non-householders among them could not be separately identified they also received the £5. These included school leavers on supplementary benefit but the actual numbers are not known.