HC Deb 27 June 1988 vol 136 cc125-7W
Mr. Winnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the estimated amount that will be spent in publicising in the media and elsewhere the arrangements for transitional payments relating to loss of housing benefit; what national and provincial papers have been used for such advertising and how often; what has been the amount of advertising on commercial television; and how often such television advertisements have appeared so far.

Mr. Portillo

The first stage of an advertising campaign publicising changes to housing benefit capital rules and transitional payments appeared in the national press at the end of May. Advertisements appeared in:

Housing Benefit: Costs and Numbers of Recipients
Rent Rebates Rent Allowances Rate Rebates
Cost £ million Numbers 000's Cost £ million Numbers 000's Cost £ million Numbers 000's
1983–84 1,980 3,735 536 1,015 1,220 7,020
1984–85 2,145 3,745 688 1,080 1,360 7,230
1985–86 2,294 3,710 835 1,150 1,510 7,020
1986–87 2,421 3,720 947 1,180 1,650 7,050
1987–88 2,563 3,760 1,057 1,250 1,760 7,030
1988–89 2,740 3,430 1,130 1,055 1,390 5,845

Note: The information is taken from the public expenditure White Paper of January 1988 (tables 15.1 and 16.6).

The 1988–89 estimate takes account of the expected changes in case load and expenditure arising from the

  • the Sun
  • Today
  • the News of the World
  • the Daily Mail (two advertisements)
  • the Sunday Mirror
  • the People
  • the Daily Mirror
  • the Sunday Telegraph
  • the Daily Telegraph (two advertisements)
  • the Daily Express (two advertisements)
  • the Sunday Express
  • the Daily Record
  • the Sunday Post.

Total media and production expenditure for this campaign came to £263,000.

The estimated expenditure on the production of posters and leaflets which advertise and give information on the transitional payments is £241,000. Television advertising has not been used in this campaign.

Mr. Gordon Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing the extent to which the increases in cash expenditure on housing benefit over the period 1982–83 to 1990–91 have been driven by other Government policy changes, identifying both the particular measure and the responsible Government Department.

Mr. Portillo

Housing benefit expenditure is affected by many different factors. Some of these, such as real terms increases in rents, will tend to increase expenditure and others, such as the recent fall in unemployment, will tend to reduce it. It is not possible meaningfully to isolate the effects of one factor from another or from general demographic and economic change over the period.

Details of the extent to which current plans take account of the proposed deregulation of private sector rents were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 11 February 1988, at column 349.

Mr. Soley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost of providing housing benefit for the financial years 1983–84 to 1987–88, broken down by payments in respect of rent rebates, rent allowances and rate rebates; what was the total number of claimants involved; and what is the current estimate for 1988–89.

Mr. Portillo

[holding answer 10 June 1988]: The information requested in relation to benefit expenditure and the average number receiving benefit is given in the table. There is a significant overlap between the three categories tabled as most households receiving help with rent will also be receiving help with rates.

change to the housing benefit capital rules, the effect of the budget income tax changes and the latest information on rent and rates.