XN000022-1982-03-09 — Page 8

TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1982

7

AN AVERAGE FOUR-MEMBER HOUSEHOLD WITHOUT INCOME OR RESOURCES CAN GET A MONTHLY ASSISTANCE OF ABOUT $1 660, COMPRISING A BASIC SCALE ALLOWANCE OF $965, A MAXIMUM RENT ALLOWANCE OF $479 AND OTHER DISCRETIONARY GRANTS AND SUPPLEMENTS.

SIMILARLY, A SINGLE PERSON ON HIS OWN CAN GET ABOUT $590 A MONTH, INCLUDING A BASIC SCALE ALLOWANCE OF $350, A MAXIMUM RENT ALLOWANCE OF $144 AND OTHER SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS.

MR ALLEYNE NOTED THAT THE BASIC SCALE RATE FOR A SINGLE PERSON IN 1972 WAS $110. SINCE THEN THERE HAD BEEN SIX REVISIONS ACCORDING TO THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE INDEX OF PRICES, SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED FOR THIS PURPOSE, AND ANOTHER REVISION IN JULY LAST YEAR TO PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT REAL IMPROVEMENT OF 25 PER CENT.

THE TOTAL INCREASE FROM 1972 TO 1981 WAS 318 PER CENT, HE SAID, WHEREAS THE RISE IN PRICES DURING THE SAME PERIOD ACCORDING TO THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) WAS ABOUT 260 PER CENT.

+APART FROM THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS AND DISCRETIONARY GRANTS, THIS IS A CLEAR INDICATION OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE STANDARD OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE OVER TIME, MR ALLEYNE SAID.

REFERRING TO THE BASIC PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RATE, THE DIRECTOR SAID THAT ALTHOUGH IT WAS REVISED UPWARDS BY 25 PER CENT LAST JULY, THERE WAS A NEED FOR ANOTHER REVISION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE INDEX SOON IN THE LIGHT OF THE CONTINUING

INFLATION TREND.

TURNING TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS ALLOWANCES, MR ALLEYNE SAID THAT THEY WERE INTENDED TO PROVIDE SOME HELP TO THE FAMILY TO MEET THE SPECIAL NEEDS ARISING FROM DISABILITY OR OLD AGE, AND WERE NOT INTENDED FOR BASIC LIVING EXPENSES.

WITH REGARD TO THE ASSERTION THAT THE PROVISION OF $175 FOR OLD AGE WAS NOT ADEQUATE TO MEET LIVING EXPENSES, HE SAID AN OLD PERSON IN NEED AND HAD NO RESOURCES WAS ENTITLED TO BOTH PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND CAN GET $350 BASIC RATE $144 MAXIMUM RENT, $175 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE, A LONG-TERM SUPPLÉMENT PLUS OTHER DISCRETIONARY GRANTS THAT MAY BE REQUIRED.

+THESE CAN AMOUNT TO MORE THAN $705, WHICH IS THE USUAL AMOUNT AN OLD PERSON GETS,+ HR ALLEYNE SAID.

FOR A BLIND PERSON WITHOUT RESOURCES, HE CAN GET ABOUT $880 A MONTH.

18