§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors led to her Department deciding to disregard war widows' pensions and war pensions in their entirety when assessing entitlement to housing benefit and rent rebates in Northern Ireland. [13940]
§ Mr. WorthingtonThe decision to disregard war widows and war pensions fully was carried forward into the Housing benefit legislation from the previous rent rebate and allowances scheme. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Rate Collection Agency administer Housing Benefit for the whole of Northern Ireland. As neither has access to other resources to subsidise Housing Benefit expenditure it was decided that the policy and legislation in Northern Ireland should follow the practice in Great Britain where the substantial majority of local authorities exercised their discretionary power to allow a full disregard.