§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report the most recent annual estimates for the take up of rate rebates and what the saving in expenditure was in that year from the failure of all those entitled to rate rebates to claim them.
§ Mr. KingFor the year 1977–78, the latest year for which reliable figures are available, in England and Wales approximately 2.7 million ratepayers received 657W rate rebates. From the family expenditure survey we estimate that this represents about 70 per cent. of those eligible. The value of unclaimed rebates for that year would have been up to £50 million.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report the number of families receiving rate rebates who are (a) above and below retirement age and (b) of those below retirement age, the number who are one-parent families and the number who are two-parent families.
§ Mr. KingReliable figures are not available but, provided they are treated with caution, our estimates would be that for 1977–78 some 2 million ratepayers above retirement age, some quarter of a million two parent families and some 100,000 one-parent families received rate rebates.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report the numbers of families receiving rate rebates who have one, two, three, four or five or more children.
§ Mr. KingA breakdown of the figures cannot be given with confidence but, provided they are treated with caution, our estimates would be that for 1977–78 of the order of 100,000 families with one child, 150,000 with two children and 100,000 with three or more children received rate rebates.