§ Dr. McDonaldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide his latest estimates for the total 183W numbers of standard housing benefit recipients, differentiating as far as possible between those below and above pensionable age; and if he will estimate how many in each group are also liable for income tax.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 20 December 1984, c. 307]: I regret the delay in providing a full reply, which was caused by unforeseen computer programming difficulties.
184WWe estimate that about 4 million households received standard housing benefit—that is, housing benefit payable to people not receiving supplementary benefit—in September 1983, the latest date for which information is available. Of these, about 2.7 million were pensioner households. In about 50 per cent. of the pensioner households, and in about 70 per cent. of the remaining households, the householder or his partner had a weekly income greater than the weekly equivalent of the appropriate personal income tax allowance.