HC Deb 07 June 1988 vol 134 cc560-1W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how much money was spent on preparing for and publicising the changes in the housing benefits system introduced on 11 April; and how much he estimates will be spent on preparing for and publicising the amendments for the housing benefits scheme announced on 27 April;

(2) how much money each local authority administering the housing benefits scheme, introduced on 11 April, has spent on preparing for and publicising the scheme; and how much he estimates each authority will spend on preparing for, and publicising the amendments to the scheme announced on 27 April.

Mr. Portillo

The Department centrally spent about £400,000 on publicising the changes to the housing benefit scheme introduced on 1 April, and made available to local authorities in total a grant of £25 million to support their costs in preparing for the reformed housing benefit scheme; information on actual costs incurred by individual authorities is not available centrally. The cost to authorities of implementing the changes to the scheme announced on 27 April cannot be estimated until the Department completes consultations with the local authority associations on the detailed procedures, and until figures are available for the number of claims expected.

Mr. Doran

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the numbers of housing benefit claimants as at June 1979 and June 1987 in each of the following constituencies(a) Amber Valley, (b) Mid Worcestershire, (c) West Lancashire, (d) Staffordshire Moorlands, (e) Hendon South, (f) Darlington and (g) Fylde.

Mr. Portillo

I regret that the information is not available.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the latest details of the arrangements under which claimants will be able to apply for and receive their transitional payments of housing benefit; and what steps his Department is taking to make sure that all those who qualify will receive their transitional help.

Mr. Portillo

Leaflet RR4 "Housing Benefit—New Rules" which contains a claim form for transitional payments is available from local authorities, DHSS local offices and post offices. A separate leaflet outlining the scheme has been sent to the various organisations advising claimants. Advertisements drawing attention to transitional payments and to the availability of the leaflet appeared in the national press during the week commencing 23 May.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in theOfficial Report a revised version of the table showing gainers and losers from the structural change to housing benefit, Official Report 18 December 1987, columns 915–918, resulting from his increase in the capital cut-off limit announced on 27 April, and a similar table showing the cash position as a result of the transitional help announced on the same date, excluding the effect of local authority rate and rent increases.

Mr. Portillo

The tables published previously remain the best guide to the structural effect of the reforms. The increase in the capital limit to £8,000 is expected to bring back into the scheme about 100,000 households. The transitional payments reduce the size of cash losses but do not affect the overall structural figures for housing benefit.