§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends, in the forthcoming Housing Bill, to extend eligibility for rent allowances and rebates to cover persons whose normal place of residence is a hostel; and whether, in the meantime, he will issue guidance to local authorities drawing their attention to the current eligibility of many such persons in their areas, in line with the recommendation of the advisory committee on rent rebates and rent allowances last year.
§ Mr. StanleyPersons who reside in local authority hostels are already eligible for rent rebate. Persons who reside in other hostels are eligible for rent allowance if they have exclusive occupa-324W tion of their accommodation. I shall draw the rules on eligibility to the attention of the local authority associations, and I also shall consider whether eligibility for rent allowances for those living in hostels should be extended.