§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what, for each year since its introduction, has been the cost of the estate rate heating addition paid in respect of blocks built by the Bison system, listed by each local authority area;
(2) whether he will estimate the number of tenants living in blocks built by the Bison system who are currently in receipt of estate rate heating addition; and how this compares with the position each year since the introduction of estate rate heating addition.
§ Dr. BoysonInformation is not available centrally to show whether individual estates designated as qualifying350W for estate rate heating additions are built by the Bison system. Information relating to all estate rate heating additions is as follows:
End 1982 End 1983 28 March 1984 Total number of certificates issued (each certificate may relate to a widely varying number of properties) 54 217 241 Estimated total number of supplementary benefit claimants entitled to estate rate heating addition 10,000 40,000 50,000 It is estimated that the net cost of estate rate heating additions is currently about £7 million per annum.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list those Bison blocks in Birmingham by name, location and size, which have been designated as qualifying for estate rate heating addition.
§ Dr. BoysonA total of 281 tower blocks in the Birmingham area have so far been designated as qualifying for estate rate heating additions. No information is available centrally to show which of these were built by the Bison system or the sizes of individual blocks. The blocks are distributed as follows:
Number of Blocks Designated as Qualifying for Estate Rate Heating Additions DHSS Local Office Area Numbers Bradford St. 18 Edgbaston 58 Erdington 76 Handsworth 29 Ladywood 24 Northfield 46 Ravenhurst 10 South Yardley 9 Sparkhill 1 Washwood Heath 10 Total—Birmingham area 281 I will send the hon. Member a list of all the properties that have been designated in the Erdington area.