Written Answers
Prisoners: Sitting During Adjudication
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will recommend to prison governors, in the interest of security, that prisoners should be required to sit rather than stand during the adjudications.
Both governors and boards of visitors have been encouraged to allow all those taking part in adjudications, including the accused inmate, to sit during the proceedings where the size of the room and other physical arrangements permit.
Prisoners: Isolation Until Adjudication
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether prisoners who are named as witnesses in an adjudication are kept in isolation until the adjudication takes place.
There is no provision in the Prison Rules for prisoners to be segregated simply because they are potential witnesses in a forthcoming adjudication.
Disabled Persons: Social Security Entitlements
asked Her Majesty's Government:To what benefits a person disabled in mind and body is entitled and to what deduction he is liable after parental support has ceased.
Following is the information:
Payments for disablement
War disablement pension and additional allowances;
Industrial disablement benefit and additional allowances;
These are payable for disablement arising from, respectively, service in the armed forces and industrial injury;
Vaccine damage payment;
This is a lump-sum payment to those who have suffered severe damage as a result of vaccination against one of a number of specified diseases.
General benefits of the social security scheme to which disabled people may be entitled
Unemployment benefit;
Sickness benefit;
Invalidity benefit;
Non-contributory invalidity pension;
Attendance allowance;
Supplementary benefit;
Mobility allowance.
Of these benefits, supplementary benefit is the only one which is means-tested, and which may therefore be affected by parental support. The withdrawal of such support would not normally lead to a reduction of this benefit. Where, however, a child who has previously been a dependent member of a family receiving supplementary benefit becomes eligible to claim the benefit in his own right, normally at the age of 16, his entitlement may be affected by resources—for example, a vaccine damage payment held in trust for him—which would not have affected his parents' entitlement.
House adjourned at seven minutes before eleven o'clock.