§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what are the mean costs to his Department and the local authority, respectively (a) of paying a furniture grant and housing benefit on a one-bedroomed local authority flat (i) in the London borough of Islington and (ii) in the Islington North parliamentary constituency for six-months and (b) of paying a board and lodging charge at the board and lodging limit for the same period (1) for a single person and (2) for a couple;
(2) if he will list for his Department's offices at Highgate and Finsbury Park over the last 12 months (a)the number of claims submitted for a furniture grant, (b)the number of successful claims, (c)the average payment made and (d)the average waiting time between application and payment.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information requested on supplementary benefit single payments for furniture is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I refer the hon. Member however to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North (Dr. Boyson) to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt) on 6 July [c.344–345], in which he gave an estimate of the number and average value of single payments for essential furniture and household equipment throughout Great Britain in 1982. Someone without any furniture or household equipment, moving into unfurnished or partly furnished accommodation, would however be likely to receive considerably more than the average amount shown, as this average includes payments to people who already have most essential items.
I understand that average rent and rates for a one-bedroomed local authority flat in the London borough of Islington, including the parliamentary constituency of Islington, North, would be in the region of £25 a week —or £650 over a six-month period. The full cost of this for supplementary benefit recipients would normally be met by certificated housing benefit, the entire cost of which would be met by the Department through subsidy paid to the local authority.
Information is not readily available on the mean costs of supplementary benefit payments in respect of board and lodging charges in Islington and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The amount paid in each case would depend not only upon the charge actually made but on the claimant's resources.