§ Mr. Marksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the increase in the numbers of domestic ratepayers eligible for rate rebate under the Local Government Bill; and what proportion of this increase consists of householders on supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Graham PageEstimates of the numbers of domestic ratepayers in England and Wales eligible to benefit under the current rate rebate scheme are not wholly reliable. However, in 1972–73, the latest financial year for which information is available, 905,423 domestic ratepayers in England and Wales received a rebate under that scheme. I estimate that in 1974–75 nearly 4 million domestic ratepayers in England and Wales will be eligible for a rebate under the new scheme and that about 3 million will take up that benefit. These figures exclude domestic ratepayers in receipt of supplementary benefit.
Ratepayers in receipt of supplementary benefit are, in general, ineligible for a rate rebate, since they receive help with their rates from the Supplementary Benefits Commission.