asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many appeals against decisions relating to single payments for those on supplementary benefit are currently being dealt with by the three local offices serving the Birmingham, Perry Barr constituency, namely: Soho road, Walsall road and Kingsbury road; and how these figures compare with the numbers one year ago.

National administrative statistics for social services appeals are not disaggregated below regional level and so figures for the individual Birmingham offices are not available. The latest available statistics are for single payment appeals lodged in the DHSS midlands region in the quarter ending 31 March 1986 when the total number of supplementary benefit single payment appeals awaiting a decision was 5,534. The equivalent figure for the quarter ending 31 March 1985 was 6,935.