Q I am 79 and have to give my 78-year-old wife 24-hour care. She gets Attendance Allowance of £37 a week. Is this right for our situation?

A£37 is the rate for those needing care by day OR night. For day AND night care, the rate is £55.30. Ask for a review of Attendance Allowance.

QMy wife and I get £744.88 every four weeks as our state pensions and Attendance Allowance of £37 a week. We have £9,000 in savings and our council tax is £699.55 a year. Can we get a rebate?

A Yes. £9.30 a week.

QSince my father died in September my mother has had a lot of stress because the council cannot say how much rent and council tax she should be paying. Can you give her any idea? Her total income is £97.24 a week from state and private pensions.

AHer income is £5.09 above the level where she could get full rebates. She will be expected to pay 65 per cent of this for basic rent and 20 per cent for council tax. That is £3.30 and £1 a week respectively.

QMy sister-in-law, aged 53, has only Incapacity Benefit of £84 a week and savings of £4,000. Yet she has been told she must pay for her current spell of dental treatment. Can this be right?

AHer income is above the level where she could get free NHS dental treatment. She would have to pay the first £37 of the cost. If it is more, she can claim the rest by completing form HC1 from the dentist.

QIs my fianc, who lives some distance away, allowed to stay with me at weekends without it affecting my Income Support?

AOnly the Benefits Agency can decide this, taking account of various circumstances. However, if he has another place where he normally lives, it is doubtful whether they could treat you as a married couple.

QWould the wages of my 59-year-old wife prevent me from claiming extra on the retirement pension I will soon start to receive?

AYou can claim an extra £43.40, but only if she earns under £53.05 a week. When she is 60 her wages will not affect the pension she gets then.