§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's estimate of the annual costs of increasing the earnings disregard for Housing Benefit claimants by(a) £5 per week for a single person aged under 65 years and (b) by £10 for a household with children. [126435]
§ Angela EagleThe information is in the table.
Estimated costs of increasing the earnings disregard for Housing Benefit claimants £ million Cost in 2000–01 Increase the Housing Benefit earnings disregard by £5 per week for a single person aged under 65 years 15 Increase the Housing Benefit earnings disregard by £10 per week for a family with children 70 Notes:
1. Based on the 1997–98 Family Resources Survey and Housing Benefit administrative/forecast data.
2. Costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million.
3. The estimates do not take into account any behavioural effect that may be caused by these measures.
§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the annual cost of disregarding child maintenance from housing benefit calculations(a) for all claimants and (b) for claimants also receiving working families tax credit. [126434]
254W
§ Angela EagleWe estimate that the cost of fully disregarding maintenance payments in Housing Benefit would be about £20 million a year. This includes an estimate for the cost for cases who would become newly entitled as a result of the full disregard.
The cost of fully disregarding maintenance payments in Housing Benefit (HB) for claimants who receive working families tax credit is also about £20 million a year.
Notes:
1. Cost for existing claims based on data taken from May 1998 HBMIS dataset, a 1 per cent. survey of HB claims.
2. Cost for cases who become newly entitled is calculated from data taken from 1996–97 Family Resources Survey uprated to 2000–01 prices, benefits and earnings levels.
3. Costs and Caseloads are calibrated to forecast caseloads for 2000–01. The cost has been rounded to the nearest £10 million.
4. This cost will include a small element of spousal maintenance.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 15 June 2000,Official Report, column 713W, on housing benefit, what average time is taken to process the housing benefit claims dealt with by Chelmsford Borough Council that are not dealt with within the 14 day guidelines. [127205]
§ Mr. RookerThe information requested is not currently available. However, under the Best Value regime introduced from April 2000, local authorities are required to submit data on the average length of time taken to determine new claims. The first figures are expected to be available to the Department by autumn this year.