§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are now receiving housing 407W benefit in the London borough of Brent, and how this compares with the number separately receiving rent allowance, rent rebates, rate rebates and full payment of rent by the Supplementary Benefits Commission before the inception of the housing benefits scheme.
§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are now receiving housing benefit in the London borough of Brent; and how this compares with the number separately receiving rent allowance, rent rebate, and full payment of rent by the Supplementary Benefits Commission prior to the inception of the housing benefit scheme.
§ Dr. BoysonNo recent estimate of the numbers receiving housing benefit in the London borough of Brent is held centrally because we are still awaiting the council's mid-year claim for subsidy for administration costs which will contain this information. We estimate that before housing benefit was introduced, there were about 15,300 claimants in Brent receiving help with rent and/or rates through supplementary benefits: and that under the old rebates and allowances scheme, there were some 5,300 rent rebates and 1,700 rent allowances in payment at April 1982. The council has not yet notified central Government of the number of rate rebates awarded in 1982–83.
§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of council tenants in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland who will be in receipt of housing benefit on 1 April, together with the estimated total number of council tenants in each country on the same date.
§ Dr. BoysonInformation in the precise form requested is not available. We estimate that about 3.3 million council tenants in Great Britain will be in receipt of housing benefit in April 1984. The latest available estimate (1983) of council dwellings is 6.1 million.
§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on meetings between his Department and the local authority associations to consider a limit for losses as a result of cuts in housing benefit; if he will publish in the Official Report full details of his proposals to limit losses; and when he expects to bring forward regulations to implement the November 1984 changes.
§ Dr. BoysonAt a meeting between the Department's officials and representatives of local authority associations on 26 March various proposals to limit losses from changes in November 1984 were discussed. The proposals put forward by officials included a general limit on cash losses excluding any changes in non-dependent deductions and a limit aimed specifically at losses resulting from changes to the taper and high rent provisions of the scheme. After initial discussions at the meeting local authority associations have been asked to give a considered written response to the proposals. We hope to bring forward regulations so as to give plenty of time to implement the November 1984 changes.