HC Deb 23 March 1988 vol 130 cc155-7W
Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people aged 16 to 17 years were in receipt of supplementary benefit in the London borough of Lewisham at the latest available date.

Mr. Portillo

I regret that this information is not available.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are currently in receipt of (a) supplementary benefit, (b) family income supplement and (c) housing benefit in the London borough of Lewisham.

Mr. Portillo

The information requested is as follows:

Number
(a) Supplementary benefit 186,667
(b) Family income supplement n/a
(c) Housing benefit 37,241

1 Latest available figure—17 November 1987.

The figures for (a) relate to the eight local offices which serve the London borough of Lewisham. The boundaries are not conterminous. The figures for (c) relate to the London borough of Lewisham.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any estimate of how many people will be on income support in the London borough of Lewisham from April.

Mr. Portillo

No local estimates have been made of the number of people who will be on income support from April.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any estimate of the number of people eligible for family credit in the London borough of Lewisham from April.

Mr. Portillo

No. Estimates are possible only on a national basis.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any estimate of the number of people in the London borough of Lewisham who will lose their entitlement to housing benefit from April.

Mr. Portillo

No. The analysis of the effect of the reforms; "Impact of the Reformed Structure of Income-related Benefits", published in October 1987 cannot be applied with any degree of reliability to individual local authority areas.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many young people were refused benefit after failing to take up a place on a YTS course in the London borough of Lewisham in 1987.

Mr. Portillo

No young person in the London borough of Lewisham was refused supplementary benefit in 1987 because he or she failed to take up a YTS place.