HC Deb 30 October 1990 vol 178 cc480-1W
Mr. Squire

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what sums of money are being paid in hostel transitional protection payments by the central unit within his Department; how many hostels are in receipt of these payments; what arrangements he has agreed for dealing with these payments from 1 April 1991; and which organisations have been consulted.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) on 15 October. A total of 1,519 hostels are receiving payments of varying amounts from the Department's central unit. Details have been given to the other Departments involved. In addition, officials in the Department recently had discussions with the chairman of the special needs housing forum.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how his Department's central unit will ensure that those refuges entitled to receive hostel transitional protection will receive it;

(2) how the hostel transitional protection compensatory payment is to be implemented when it becomes permanent funding from April 1991.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

The temporary payments made by the Department's central unit will cease from April 1991, when the money will be transferred to other Departments, as explained in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) on 15 October. Inquiries about the detailed arrangements for distributing the money to hostels would be best directed to those Departments.

Mr. Squire

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on consultations with the hostels sector on transitional protection payments for hostels from April 1991.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

The temporary payments made by the Department's central unit will cease from April 1991, when the money will be transferred to other Departments, as explained in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) on 15 October. Accordingly, the question of further consultation about such payments does not arise. On the arrangements for funding from other sources, departmental officials recently met the chairman of the special needs housing forum.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what his Department's central unit is doing to expedite the payment of housing benefit to women and children in refuges and to rectify the situation in those cases where underpayments have occurred;

(2) how many complaints regarding problems with the housing payment to women in refuges have been received by his Department's central unit office in London.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

A central unit was set up in the Department's headquarters in London to make payments to hostels to compensate them for any shortfall in income as a result of the changes in income support and housing benefit for people living in hostels in October 1989. There have been no complaints about the arrangements for payments by the central unit to hostels.

Although the Department oversees the scope and structure of the housing benefit scheme, it is local authorities that have full responsibility for its day-to-day administration.