Housing Costs (Hansard, 18 December 1987)

§ Mr. Nellist

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish figures showing the total United Kingdom costs of Government support for housing costs, at 1987 prices, in each year since 1979, distinguishing between (i) assistance to supplementary benefit recipients, (ii) rent rebates and allowances, (iii) rate rebates, (iv) mortgage interest relief, (v) improvement and thermal insulation grants, (vi) central Government subsidies to local authority and new town housing, and (vii) rate fund contributions to local authority housing; and what is the total charge since the financial year 1979–80 in real terms.

Central Government Support for Housing Costs in the United Kingdom
£ million (1986–87 prices)¹
	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87
(i) Supplementary benefits³	1,532	1,742	2,519	1,480	452	511	663	²n/a
(ii) Rent rebates and allowances⁴	455	499	742	1,136	2,736	3,041	3,197	3,644
(iii) Rate rebates⁴ ⁵	350	407	524	593	1,316	1,451	1,522	1,607
(iv) Mortgage interest tax relief (including option mortgage scheme)⁶	2,722	3,065	2,946	2,740	3,078	3,827	4,636	4,500
(v) Improvement and thermal insulation grants⁷	268	244	275	331	483	620	663	714
(vi) Subsidies to local authorities, new towns and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive⁷	2,430	2,509	1,630	980	656	717	737	831
Other central government voted housing expenditure⁷ ⁸	1,012	900	793	1,175	1,545	1,468	1,326	1,154
Total⁹	8,769	9,366	9,429	8,437	10,267	11,636	12,744	12,451
Notes:
¹ Using GDP deflator.
² n/a=information not available for that year.
³ Includes figures for housing requirements in supplementary benefit, housing benefit supplement and water charges paid with housing benefit. Data for housing requirements in supplementary benefit are derived from SB assessments (which may be higher than amounts paid). Figures for this element are annualised from caseload samples in a particular week. Figures for other elements are from local authority claims data. Figures for supplementary benefit are not yet available for 1986–87, so this element has been excluded from the overall change figure given in the answer.
⁴ Prior to 1982–83 help with rent and rates for supplementary benefit claimants was included in their benefit assessment.
⁵ Information on the level of rate rebates in Northern Ireland is not available for the years 1979–80 to 1982–83. This element has been excluded from the overall change figure given in the answer.
⁶ Option mortgage subsidy absorbed into mortgage interest tax relief (MIRAS) from April 1983. Does not include the cost of interest relief for landlords.
⁷ Figures are outturn as published in appropriation accounts. Excludes voted expenditure in Scotland prior to 1982–83 because estimates and appropriation accounts were in a different format and comparable figures cannot be provided other than at disproportionate cost. Figures for voted expenditure in Scotland have been excluded from the overall change figure given in the answer. Outturn in 1986–87 is net of appropriations in aid (£43 million to the vote in England). There were no appropriations in aid in earlier years.
⁸ Excludes the small amount of voted expenditure on housing schemes under the urban programme.
⁹ Figures in the table may not sum due to rounding.