asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the function of the Supplementary Benefits Commission; how many people it employs; and what is its total cost to public funds per annum.

The function of the Supplementary Benefits Commission is, in the words of section 2 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976, to determine

"the question whether any person is entitled to supplementary benefit, and the amount of any such benefit".

The Act also lays other specific duties on the Commission. Paragraph 1.1 of the report of the Supplementary Benefits Commission for 1975 (Cmnd. 6615) explains the background to its role in commenting on developments and expressing views about priorities.The Commission does not employ staff of its own nor incur expenditure on its own account. Staff involved in the administration of the supplementary benefit scheme are employed by the Department and expenditure on the scheme is accounted for in the Department's Vote. Fees, expenses and administration costs amounted to £37,000 in the financial year 1978–79.