asked the Secretary of State for Social Services at what level the £300 limit for single payments would now stand if it had been index-linked at its November 1980 level.

If the capital limit on single payments had been increased in line with the actual and forecast movement in the retail price index from November 1980 to November 1982—assuming a 9 per cent. increase over the 12 months to November 1982—its November 1982 level would be about £365.