Telephone Rentals

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 10

Telephone Rentals

Sir, —To the aged pensioners and the sick, living on their own, a telephone is essential. They have never been advised officially what they can do to avoid the increase. Some have more dignity than to ask for and fill in a special assistance form, if that is what is required. Surely Social Security records should be sufficient to eliminate the need.—Yours, etc. CONFUSED.

March 13, 1967. [The Registrar of the Social Security Department (Mr E. B. Pyne) replies: “Assistance from the Social Security Department towards the cost of a telephone is restricted to those cases where the beneficiary is entitled to supplementary assistance in addition to a normal social security benefit. The qualification for supplemental? assistance depends on the circumstances of the individual beneficiary, and a special form is necessary because of the additional details required regarding financial commitments which are not included on the forms relating only to the social security benefit. Where a telephone is considered necessary on account of a beneficiary’s age or poor health, the rental is included with the other living costs (rent, rates, mortgage interest, etc.) in determining the amount of supplementary assistance payable. The new telephone rental is now being used for these assessments.”]