§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the maximum amount of housing benefit available to single people under the age of 25 years in each local authority area. [8806]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyOur objective is to reduce poverty and welfare dependency and to promote work incentives. One of our first steps is to focus on helping 250,000 young people off welfare and into work.
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table.
Housing benefit recipients who are single and aged under 25, average weekly housing benefit by region and
Great Britain—May 1995
Average weekly housing benefit (£) Great Britain 45.73 North 38.77 Yorkshire and Humberside 37.56 East Midlands 40.96 East Anglia 44.72 South East (excluding London) 53.46 London 59.46 South West 45.91 West Midlands 39.28 North West 43.91 Wales 40.07 Scotland 37.38 Source:
Housing Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample enquiries taken at the end of May 1995.
Notes:
1. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest 1 pence.
2. Analysis by local authority area is not available from our 1 per cent. sample enquiries.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people under the age of 25 years have had their housing benefit reduced as a result of the limitation of housing benefit to the single room rent; and what proportion of these have been(a) male and (b) female. [8805]
§ Mr. BradleyThe information is not yet available. However, we are monitoring the impact of the Single Room Rent, by collecting information from a sample of200W local authorities on an on-going basis, and data from that exercise are currently being analysed. The number of under 25s who have had their Housing Benefit reduced as a result of the Single Room Rent will be available from the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit Summary Statistics 1997 which is due to be published in August. The summary will be available in the Library, but the split between males and females will not be available.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment she has made of the impact of the limitation of housing benefit to single room rent for single people under the age of 25 years; and what plans she has to end the limitation. [8807]
§ Mr. BradleyThese measures were introduced by the previous Government. We have, however, announced our intention to revoke the extension of the single room rent to people aged between 25 and 59. We are gathering evidence on the impact of the single room rent for the under 25s. Information is being collected from a sample of local authorities on an on-going basis and officials are meeting local authorities, advice agencies and rent officers to obtain early, direct information on the impact of the changes. A survey has also been commissioned to obtain information on Housing Benefit and the private rented sector, the results of which are expected next summer.
We will give the results careful consideration.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she plans to implement the limitation of housing benefit to single room rent for single people aged 25–60 years. [8799]
§ Mr. BradleyI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Glasgow Pollock (Mr. Davidson) on 18 June,Official Report, columns 215–16.