§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the highest level of income at which housing benefit is known to have been paid.
§ Dr. BoysonThe Department does not have any information on the income levels at which benefit has been granted.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the housing benefit payable to a man with a wife and four children non-working, whose rent was £100 per week and rates £35 per week if his salary was £20,000 per annum, showing the rent and rate components separately.
§ Dr. BoysonSuch circumstances are extremely unlikely. But the person described would be entitled to a rent rebate or allowance of £0.77, a week, and a rate rebate of £1.26 a week, if entitlement was calculated on the basis of the full rent and rates. However, local authorities have discretion to restrict eligible rent and rates if the dwelling78W is unnecessarily large, or unreasonably expensive, and it is reasonable to expect the claimant to move to cheaper accommodation. There will be no entitlement to either rent or rate rebate from April 1984.