§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish figures for each year since 1979, showing the total number of recipients of rent rebates and allowances and of rate rebates; and what information he has as to the numbers of such recipients in full-time work and those dependent on social security.
§ Sir George Young[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1984, c. 29–30]: Total numbers of households in England 374W and Wales receiving rent rebates, rent allowances and rate rebates, and of households on supplementary benefit, in the years up to 1982 appear in table 11.3 of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1972–1982" which is available in the Library. Provisional estimates of those receiving rent assistance by housing benefits in May 1983, based on information collected by CIPFA, are as follows:
England and Wales Thousand households Receiving standard rent rebates* Receiving certificated rent rebates Local authority and new towns tenants 1,435 1,595 Private renting and housing association tenants 300 440 * Including households also receiving housing benefit supplement. Estimates of recipients dependent on social security payments other than supplementary benefit are not available. Estimates are available of the households receiving rebates and allowances whose household heads were either in full-time employment or self-employed and of those whose heads were of pensionable age; these estimates, which are subject to wide margins of error, are as follows:
England and Wales Percentages of recipients whose heads of household were in full-time employment Rent rebates Rent allowance to unfurnished tenancies Rate rebates 1979 16 7 12 1980 12 7 10 1981 18 8 14 1982 25 8 19
Percentages of recipients whose heads of household were of pensionable age Rent rebates Rent allowances to unfurnished tenancies Rate rebates 1979 67 77 74 1980 66 89 76 1981 57 84 69 1982 51 75 62 Notes:
(i) Estimates derived from households in the Family Expenditure Survey sample.
(ii) A small proportion of heads of households of pensionable age were in full-time employment.
(iii) Households on supplementary benefit excluded from the calculations (eg. those switched to certificated rebates in November 1982).