§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the approximate cost in outturn prices in 1977–78 in England and Wales of(a)supplementary benefit to pay for the rents of council tenants, neglecting the effect of item(d)below,(b)supplementary benefit to pay for rents of private tenants,(c)supplementary benefit to pay for the rates of council tenants, and(d)payments by local authorities to reimburse the Department of Health and Social Security for the amount local authorities would have had to pay in rent rebates if the recipients had not been on supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Deakins:Because supplementary benefit brings a claimant's other income, if any, up to a specific level, it is not possible to say how much of total benefit expenditure is attributable to rent and rates. It is estimated that at August 1978 there were 1 .3 million local authority tenants in England and Wales receiving supplementary benefit and that the average weekly amount included for rent and rates in the calculation of their requirements was £7 .50; there were 0 .5 million tenants of private landlords with an average weekly amount included for rent and rates of £6 .20. In the financial year 1977–78 my Department received £169 million from local authorities in England and Wales under the central accounting arrangements in respect of supplementary benefit claimants who would otherwise have been entitled to a rent rebate.