§ 17. Mr. Litherlandasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what sums, expressed in constant prices, were paid in housing subsidies to local authorities in the financial years 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82, respectively.
§ Mr. Stanley[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1982, c. 113]: The following figures are based on the latest information available and are at estimated 1981–82 outturn prices.
In 1978–79, £1,457 million was paid in Exchequer subsidy to local authority housing revenue accounts, and £362 million in Exchequer contributions to rent rebates.
In 1979–80 the figures were £1,620 million and £361 million and 1980–81 £1,580 million and £392 million.
In 1981–82 the figure for Exchequer subsidy is provisionally estimated at £916 million. Rent rebates paid to recipients of supplementary benefit and supplement pensions—indirect rebates—are now funded through DHSS programmes. The figure for contributions to rent rebates is therefore not directly comparable with previous years, but the substantial increase in Exchequer support for rent rebates is indicated by local authorities' claims for Exchequer contribution to direct rebates which increased from £194 million in 1980–81 to £360 million in 1981–82. Expenditure on indirect rebates through DHSS which in 1980–81 was about the same as expenditure on direct rebates is likely to have increased by a similar proportion.