HC Deb 08 July 1985 vol 82 cc355-6W
Mr. Hume

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate the number of people, by convenient district unit, in Northern Ireland who are in receipt of housing benefit, indicating how many of these are also receiving supplementary benefit and how many are pensioners.

Mr. Chris Patten

The information is not available in the precise form requested. The available information as at 15 March is shown in the following table:

District council area Number* of persons in receipt of housing benefit Number* of housing benefit recipients also in receipt of supplementary benefit
Antrim 4,500 3,000
Ards 6,600 3,800
Armagh 5,000 3,200
Ballymena 5,700 3,400
Ballymoney 2,800 1,700
Banbridge 3,100 1,700
Belfast 47,200 30,600
Castlereagh 5,700 2,900
Carrickfergus 3,400 2,000
Coleraine 6,400 4,000
Cookstown 3,500 2,500
Craigavon 9,400 6,200
Derry 12,600 9,000
Down 5,100 3,100
Dungannon 5,300 4,000
Fermanagh 6,100 4,300
Larne 3,200 2,100
Limavady 3,000 2,200
Lisburn 9,500 6,100
Magherafelt 3,900 2,700
Moyle 1,900 1,300
Newtownabbey 8,500 5,200
Newry 10,900 7,300
North Down 6,500 3,200
Omagh 4,700 3,000
Strabane 5,100 3,700
189,600 122,200
Number of pensioners (estimate) 84,800
* Rounded to the nearest hundred.

Mr. Hume

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate the number of people, by convenient district unit, in Northern Ireland, who are in receipt of housing benefit supplement.

Mr. Chris Patten

The information requested is shown in the following table:

Number of persons* in receipt of housing benefit supplement
District council area Persons
Antrim 74
Ards 132
Armagh 72
Ballymena 83
Ballymoney 44
Banbridge 59
Belfast 870

District council area Persons
Castlereagh 135
Carrickfergus 90
Coleraine 111
Cookstown 42
Craigavon 180
Derry 251
Down 78
Dungannon 63
Fermanagh 51
Larne 55
Limavady 42
Lisburn 179
Magherafelt 62
Moyle 16
Newtownabbey 166
Newry 129
North Down 148
Omagh 55
Strabane 85
3,272
* As at 15 March 1985.

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