§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) to what factors he attributes the increase in the number of homeless supplementary benefit claimants staying in bed and breakfast accommodation;
(2) if he will give the increase in each of the last five years in the number of homeless supplementary benefit claimants staying in bed and breakfast accommodation.
§ Mr. WhitneyI regret that separate records are not maintained on whether supplementary benefit claimants entered ordinary board and lodging accommodation because of homelessness or other factors. I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 14 December to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) at column661–2 for information on the number of supplementary benefit claimants living in ordinary board and lodging accommodation since 1979. There is no simple explanation for the increased number in recent years of ordinary board and lodging cases which reflects more than the increase in the overall number of supplementary benefit recipients. Recent evidence indicates that an important factor has been that some landlords and some claimants, particularly the younger age groups, have found board and lodging payments financially attractive.
§ Sir Brandon Rhys-Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what proportion of people
Region Hospital Service Expenditure £ Community Health and Family Practitioner services £ Other services expenditure £ Total expenditure by Health Authorities £ Northern 155.25 76.63 21.18 253.06 Yorkshire 150.86 75.16 19.78 245.80 Trent 143.81 71.46 17.14 232.41 East Anglian 140.69 75.85 18.74 235.28 North West Thames 168.89 79.18 20.76 268.83 North East Thames 200.91 76.26 21.95 299.12 South East Thames 178.20 78.90 23.34 280.44 South West Thames 170.31 80.33 22.92 273.56 Wessex 144.07 76.63 19.42 240.12 Oxford 125.40 72.78 20.23 218.41 South Western 145.75 76.31 19.99 242.05 West Midlands 144.96 74.12 17.50 236.58 Mersey 164.32 76.35 20.63 261.30 North Western 165.66 81.85 22.71 270.22 All Regions 157.88 76.47 20.33 254.68 Notes:
1. The expenditure figures used are taken from the annual accounts submitted to the Department by regional and district health authorities.
2. Other services expenditure includes the cost of the ambulance, blood transfusion, mass radiography and various other services and headquarters administration.
3. The figures do not include the cost of certain services provided centrally (for example, by the Dental Estimates Board and the Prescription Pricing Authority); nor expenditure incurred by the London Postgraduate special health authorities and preserved boards of governors.
4. The figures will reflect regional influences, the major one being the effect of London weighting allowance in the four Thames regions.
5. Family practitioner committee expenditure has been included in the region of the health authority which accounts for that expenditure. However, a few family practitioner committees' catchment areas straddle regional boundaries and will have marginally distorted some of the figures.
6. The population figures used are the mid-year estimates of resident population for 1983, the latest available.