§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many council tenants there are in receipt of supplementary benefit; what is the total cost to the Department in respect of rents and rates paid to local authorities on behalf of tenants who receive supplementary benefit; and what are the comparative figures for the years 1975 to 1979.
§ Mrs. ChalkerOn 20 February 1980. some 1,455,000 local authority tenants benefit; and what are the comparative were receiving supplementary benefit. The other information requested is not centrally recorded and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how quickly after a local authority increases the rent of a council tenant in receipt of supplementary benefit, his Department pays the increased amounts to the local authority 768W or the claimant; and whether this increase is applicable from the date of rent increase.
§ Mrs. ChalkerIncreases in supplementary benefit resulting from increases in local authority rents are put into payment as soon as practicable. Where a local office has direct notification from a local authority of individual rent increases and where it has the necessary staff resources, reassessment of all cases will be completed within eight weeks from the notification of the rent increases. Where the consequent increase in supplementary benefit is less than 50p a week, claimants paid by order book will receive the increase together with arrears when a new order book is issued. The increase in benefit is payable from the benefit pay day in the calendar week in which the rent increase occurs.