Refuges (Hansard, 27 April 1989)

§ Mrs. Mahon
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to ensure that after 9 October all refuge rents, of however short a duration, will be paid.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
From 9 October people who now receive income support at hostel rates (including those in refuges) will be treated in the same way as hostel dwellers not on income support and will need to claim housing benefit to help with the accommodation element of the hostel charge. The housing benefit regulations already allow entitlement to housing benefit to accrue on a daily basis, provided the liability is daily. Regardless of the basis on which housing benefit is calculated it cannot be paid more frequently than weekly, and normally no more often than fortnightly. It will generally be for the claimant to pay any balance of the charge which housing benefit does not meet (including any amount for fuel or meals) from their income support or other resources.

§ Mrs. Mahon
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, after 9 October, young women claimants will be paid the same amount of income support as other women in refuges, whether they are parents or not.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
From 9 October 1989 the normal income support rules will apply to all women living in refuges. Their applicable amount will be made up of a personal allowance plus allowances for any dependent children living with them and any premiums which may be appropriate. All of these elements are related either to age or to whether or not the claimant is a parent.

§ Mrs. Mahon
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when details of transitional payments to refuges will he made available.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
We are introducing special arrangements to assist existing hostels and claimants after the implementation of the changes to income support for hostel dwellers in October 1989. Payments to hostels will initially be made by DSS local offices, and subsequently from a central unit which will be set up in the Department. This unit will be responsible for monitoring the effects of the reform on individual hostels, and making payments to compensate for resulting loss in revenue from charges currently met by income support. In finalising these arrangements consideration will be given to the views of the hostel sector through discussions which are already under way.

§ Mrs. Mahon
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what extra financial help will be given to local authorities to assist in the extra workload when housing benefit replaces board and lodgings payments for women and children staying in refuges.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Proposals for supporting local authorities' costs in handling the additional workload arising from the inclusion of hostel dwellers in the housing benefit scheme are due to be discussed shortly with the local authority associations. Local authorities will be advised of the additional support to be made available to them as soon as these discussions have been completed.