§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how she will ensure in reforming housing benefit that claimants are not exposed to the combination of high rents and low benefit. [37346]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyWe are reviewing rent and Housing Benefit policy as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review on Housing and in line with our welfare reform objectives. Our aim continues to be to ensure that everyone has the opportunity of a decent home.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the cost of housing benefit payments in each of the last 15 years(a) in total and (b) per tenant for (i) council tenants, (ii) housing association tenants and (iii) private tenants.[37543]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the tables.
Information is not available on the cost per tenant in each year, and is therefore expressed in terms of average weekly benefit per tenant.
384W
Total housing benefit expenditure, Great Britain £millions Year Rent rebate expenditure (council tenants) Total rent allowance expenditure1 Estimated rent allowance expenditure (Housing association tenants)2 Estimated rent allowance expenditure (Non-HA private tenant)2 1982–83 1,777 351 n/a n/a 1983–84 1,980 536 n/a n/a 1984–85 2,145 687 n/a n/a 1985–86 2,296 881 n/a n/a 1986–87 2,419 996 n/a n/a 1987–88 2,506 1,030 n/a n/a 1988–89 2,718 1,055 n/a n/a 1989–90 2,940 1,359 n/a n/a 1990–91 3,368 1,779 n/a n/a 1991–92 4,068 2,426 n/a n/a 1992–93 4,617 3,284 730 2,554 1993–94 5,025 4,188 991 3,197
Total housing benefit expenditure, Great Britain £ millions Year Rent rebate expenditure (council tenants) Total rent allowance expenditure1 Estimated rent allowance expenditure (Housing association tenants)2 Estimated rent allowance expenditure (Non-HA private tenant)2 1994–95 5,246 4,874 1,333 3,541 1995–96 5,440 5,445 1,603 3,842 1996–97 5,636 5,887 1,959 3,928 Sources:
1. Public Expenditure White Papers (PEWP).
2. Departmental Reports.
3. Housing Benefit Management Information System.
Notes:
1Includes Supplementary Benefit Component for 1982–83.
2 Based on Housing Benefit Management Information System 1 per cent. sample.
Average weekly housing benefit expenditure per tenant,Great Britain £ per week Year Rent rebate (council tenants) Rent allowance (Private tenants including HA Rent allowance (housing association tenants) Rent allowance (other private tenant) 1982–83 9.56 7.94 n/a n/a 1983–84 10.22 10.18 n/a n/a 1984–85 11.04 12.26 n/a n/a 1985–86 11.93 14.76 n/a n/a 1986–87 12.48 16.23 n/a n/a 1987–88 13.12 16.54 n/a n/a 1988–89 15.85 18.78 n/a n/a 1989–90 17.36 21.06 n/a n/a 1990–91 19.80 25.45 n/a n/a 1991–92 22.76 32.57 n/a n/a 1992–93 26.46 38.45 32.24 41.07 1993–94 28.94 43.61 35.75 46.14 1994–95 30.74 47.28 39.52 51.54 1995–96 33.09 50.49 43.10 52.42 1996–97 34.56 52.41 45.29 56.91 Source:
1. Public expenditure white papers (PEWP).
2. Departmental reports.
3. Housing benefit management information system.
4. 1988 onwards, DSS housing benefit management information system 1 per cent. sample.
Notes:
1. No separate estimate of Housing Benefit expenditure for Housing Association and Other Private Tenants are available before the 1992–93 financial year as this tenure type was not separately collected before May 1992.
2. The rent rebate figures include new town tenants as well as council tenants.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her estimate of the cost of housing benefit fraud in the most recent year for which figures are available. [37544]
§ Mr. DenhamThe first Housing Benefit review, in 1995, estimated the overall cost of incorrectness in Housing Benefit to be around £1 billion: this estimate includes confirmed and suspected fraud, as well as claimant and official error. The Department is currently conducting a further review to update that estimate.
385WTogether with local authorities, we have taken significant steps to tackle Housing Benefit fraud, but more needs to be done. We made it clear in our Green Paper "New ambitions for our country: A contract for welfare reform" that rooting out fraud is an essential part of welfare reform. We have set up a fundamental review of the Department's counter-fraud strategy and are looking to strengthen each part of it, through earlier prevention, more effective deterrence, better detection.