§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unemployed people in receipt of supplementary benefit have mortgages, the interest element on which is being paid by his Department.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAt 3 December 1980, 52,000 unemployed recipients of supplementary benefit had mortgage interest included in their supplementary benefit assessment. How much supplementary benefit they actually received would depend on the difference between their total requirements and total resources.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was spent by the Supplementary Benefits Commission and his Department in 1980 and during the first six months of 1981 on mortgage interest on behalf of supplementary benefit claimants below retirement age.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThis information is not available because it is not possible to separate out expenditure on particular items allowed for in supplementary benefit assessment.