§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of state for Northern Ireland what is the total cost to the Government of the running of the Benefit Allocation Branch in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. CarterThe current cost of running the Benefit Allocation Branch in the Department of Health and Social Services is approximately £525,000 a year after deducting the collection charges.
§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number and percentage of cases which have been returned to the Housing Executive by benefit allocations because of inaccurate information.
§ Mr. CarterOver the period 1st April 1976 to 3rd January 1977 some 5,000 cases, that is about 25 per cent. of all cases, referred to Benefit Allocation Branch by Northern Ireland Housing Executive could not be acted upon immediately because the information which the Housing Executive had furnished to Benefit Allocation Branch was either incomplete or required further investigation.