§ Sir Peter HordernTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of raising the limit of capital for eligibility for housing benefit from £6,000 to £10,000 for those who receive state retirement pensions.
§ Mr. PortilloI regret that the information is not available. The overall cost of increasing the capital limit to £10,000 is of the order of £60 million on the assumptions contained in the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall) on 18 April 1988 at columns341–342. It is estimated that most of the additional cost would be in respect of those of retirement age.