§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) for the week starting 10 April, and each ensuing week, how many people currently in receipt of housing benefit transitional payments in the Leeds, West constituency will cease to become eligible; and what this is as a percentage of the total number of those claiming transitional payments in the constituency;
(2) for the week starting 10 April, and each ensuing week, how many people currently in receipt of housing benefit transitional payments will cease to become eligible; and what this is as a percentage of the total number of those claiming transitional payments.
§ Mr. Peter LloydUntil the closing date of 30 June 1989 is reached and all applications for housing benefit transitional payments have been received and assessed, it will not be possible to state how many people will no longer receive transitional payments from 10 April 1989 because of the £2 flat rate reduction, but we estimate that around 40 per cent. will no longer qualify for payments. The information requested is not available by constituency area.
§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have been paid housing benefit transitional payments; of these, how many will lose their transitional protection after 9 April because they have capital in excess of £8,000; and how many others will lose their transitional protection because the amount of their payments is less than £2 per week.
§ Mr. Peter LloydUp to 24 March 188,095 people had been awarded housing benefit transitional payments and payments have been made in 180,874 cases. Until the closing date of 30 June 1989 is reached and all applications have been received and assessed it will not be possible to state how many people will no longer receive transitional protection from 10 April because of the £2 flat rate reduction, but we estimate that around 40 per cent. will no longer qualify for payments. It will not be possible to say how many people will no longer qualify for transitional 165W protection because their capital has risen above £8,000 since April 1988 until all renewal application forms have been returned to the transitional payments unit.