§ 6. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance in view of the cases, details of which he has received, of the unemployed man, and of the war-disabled man and wife who live on £3 18s. a week after paying rent, in both of which cases the National Assistance Board has refused to pay full rent allowance of £2 15s. per week, and of the facts that many people exist on less than the minimum National Assistance Board scale and that rents of houses decontrolled under the Rent Act are increasing, if he will amend his regulations to take account of this situation.
§ Mr. WoodNo. As I told the hon. Member on 20th April, the Board is required to provide such allowance for rent as is reasonable in the circumstances, and I do not think it could properly be required to do more. I am writing to the hon. Member about the cases he sent me.
§ Mr. J. Griffithsasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what was the lowest, highest and the average amount paid on account of rent to the recipients of weekly allowances by the 2W National Assistance Board in the years 1949, 1959, and 1963, respectively.
§ Mr. WoodThe following table sets out the available information, which cannot be given in precisely the form the right hon. Gentleman would like:
Year Number of house holders receiving assistance grants Number paying rent of less than 3s. Number paying rent of 50s. or more Average rent s. d. 1949* 1959 1,354,000 11,000 18,000 19 7 1963 1,563,000 5,000 78,000 25 10 * Not available. "Rent" means the weekly amount of rent and rates, and for owner-occupied property the weekly amount of rates and an allowance for insurance, repairs and any mortgage interest, abated in either case, where appropriate, by the proceeds (less expenses) of any subletting. The table excludes people living rent free.