§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will provide estimates for November 1985 of the number of standard housing benefit recipients, in total and according to the following household types (a) pensioners, (b) working households with children, distinguising between couples and single parents, (c) working households without children, (d) others with children, distinguising between couples and single parents, (e) others without children:
(2) if he will provide estimates of the numbers of losers resulting from the changes to standard housing benefit proposed in the White Paper on the reform of social security, Cmnd. 9691, including the suggested 20 per cent. rate contribution; how many of these would lose entitlement to housing benefit altogether; and if he will break the above estimate down into the following categories (a) pensioners, (b) working households with children, distinguising between couples and single
602Wsame basis as the tables showing the effect of structural reform, including the 20 per cent. rates contribution, in the technical annex to Cmnd. 9691.
§ Mr. Newton[pursuant to his reply, 15 January 1986, c. 596]: Using the illustrative assumptions in the technical annex to the White Paper (Cmnd. 9691), including a contribution to domestic rates of 20 per cent., the estimated changes in disposable income are shown in the table. For most households on income support, diminished entitlement arising from the housing benefit changes will be wholly or partially offset by increased entitlement arising from the switch from supplementary benefit to income support; the combined effect in these cases is shown in table 10B of the technical annex but, for the reasons given in the notes to the table following, the estimates are not exactly compatible. For most working families with children, decreased entitlement arising from the housing benefit changes will be wholly or partially offset by increased entitlement arising from the switch from FIS to family credit; the combined effect in these cases is shown in table 12(ii)B of the technical annex.
parents, (c) working households without children, (d) others with children, distinguising between couples and single parents, (e) others without children.
§ Mr. Newton[pursuant to the replies, 16 January 1986, c. 702 and c. 698]: Using the illustrative assumptions in the technical annex to the White Paper (Cmnd. 9691) including a contribution to domestic rates of 20 per cent., the information requested is as follows: 603W
Standard housing benefit: caseload and numbers affected by proposals Thousands, Great Britain Estimated number of recipients under present scheme Estimated number with reduced entitlement (including, in brackets, number with no entitlement) Pensioners 2,430 1,470 (310) Working households with children —couples 370 310 (110) —lone parents 80 70 (30) Working households without children 230 200 (100) Other with children —couples 100 60 (10) —lone parents 90 80 (10) Others without children 330 210 (50) All households 3,630 2,410 (620) Notes:
- 1. Present scheme estimates have been made on a similar basis to that outlined in paragraph 2.10 of the Technical Annex. The total is consistent with the estimated numbers claiming standard housing benefit at November 1985.
- 2. Estimates of numbers with reduced entitlement exclude the effects of family credit.
- 3. The estimates are not adjusted for differential take-up.
- 4. Some totals may not be equal to the sum of the component parts because of rounding.