§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances the rent element of supplementary benefit is paid direct to landlords or managers of housing trust property.
§ Mr. OrmeThe Supplementary Benefits Commission authorises direct payment of rent in cases of persistent rent default or where it considers that it would be in the claimant's best interests to do so. Board and lodging vouchers may be issued in similar circumstances.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many appeals against refusal of supplementary benefit there have been in each of the last three years by region; how many succeeded; and how many failed.
§ Mr. Orme,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th March 1977; Vol. 927, c. 687] gave the following information:
Following is the information about appeals heard by tribunals for the years 1973–5. Figures for 1976 are not yet available.
97W98W
1973 1974 1975 Total Successful Failed Total Successful Failed Total Successful Failed Northern … … … 1,210 275 935 1,332 256 1,076 1,577 355 1,222 Yorkshire and Humberside … … 2,067 392 1,675 2,304 427 1,877 2,579 515 2,064 East Midlands and East Anglia … … 1,540 332 1,208 1,575 302 1,273 2,154 581 1,573 London (North) … … … 2,450 638 1,812 2,261 533 1,728 3,002 688 2,314 London (South) … … … 2,350 440 1,910 2,507 409 2,098 3,288 545 2,743 London (West) … … … 2,017 394 1,623 2,018 381 1,637 2,135 478 1,657 South-Western … … … 1,770 466 1,304 1,734 419 1,315 2,635 620 2,015 West Midlands … … … 2,669 563 2,107 2,738 453 2,285 3,914 736 3,178 North-West (Manchester) … … … 1,893 258 1,635 2,195 281 1,914 3,200 586 2,614 North-West (Merseyside … … … 2,007 313 1,694 2,227 349 1,878 3,263 635 2,628 Wales … … … 1,568 314 1,254 1,738 278 1,460 2,225 411 1,814 Scotland … … … 2,945 416 2,499 2,982 388 2,594 2,787 394 2,393 Total … … … 24,486 4,830 19,656 25,611 4,476 21,135 32,759 6,544 26,215