HC Deb 04 February 1977 vol 925 cc474-6W
Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases attendance allowance has been wholly withheld or reduced to pay rent arrears to the Housing Executive.

Mr. Carter

A 10 per cent. sample survey, covering 568 of the total number of benefit allocation cases at 3rd January 1977, contained only two attendance allowance cases, but it is not statistically valid to extrapolate from this number to give an estimate of total cases within the benefit allocation file.

Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many persons have gone into rent arrears with the Housing Executive since the ending of internment in Northern Ireland;

(2) how many persons are paying rent arrears to the Executive where the arrears began to accrue after the introduction of internment in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Carter

The information is not available in the form requested and it would require a disproportionate use of resources to collect it.

Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons in receipt of family income supplement have had rent arrears deducted by benefit allocations.

Mr. Carter

A 10 per cent. sample survey, covering 568 of the total number of benefit allocation cases at 3rd January 1977, contained only one family income supplement case, but it is not statistically valid to extrapolate from a single case to give an estimate of total cases in the benefit allocation file.

Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons in receipt of unemployment benefit have had rent arrears deducted by benefit allocations.

Mr. Carter

A 10 per cent. sample survey, covering 568 of the total number of benefit allocation cases at 3rd January 1977, contained only 28 unemployment benefit cases, but it is not statistically valid to extrapolate from this number to give an estimate of total cases within the benefit allocation file.

Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons in receipt of sickness invalidity benefit have had rent arrears deducted by benefit allocations.

Mr. Carter

A 10 per cent. sample survey, covering 568 of the total number of benefit allocation cases at 3rd January 1977, contained only 33 sickness invalidity cases, but it is not statistically valid to extrapolate from this number to give an estimate of total cases within the benefit allocation file.

Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women have had maternity grant allowance withheld by benefit allocations to pay rent arrears.

Mr. Carter

A 10 per cent. sample survey, covering 568 of the total number of benefit allocation cases at 3rd January 1977, contained only one maternity case, but it is not statistically valid to extrapolate from a single case to give an estimate of total cases within the benefit allocation file.

Mr. Fitt

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many retirement pensioners living alone have had their State benefit reduced to pay rent arrears to the Housing Executive.

Mr. Carter

A 10 per cent. sample survey, covering 568 of the total number of benefit allocation cases at 3rd January 1977, contained only 22 retirement pension cases, but it is not statistically valid to extrapolate from this number to give an estimate of total cases within the benefit allocation file. Information is not available about retirement pensioners living alone, and it would take a disproportionate amount of staff time and resources to obtain the information.