§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what savings in expenditure on housing benefit he expects to make in 1986–87 and 1987–88 as a result of his proposal to increase the main housing benefit needs allowance in July 1986 by the same cash amounts as the retirement pension rather than according to the normal uprating formula.
§ Mr. MajorNo comparison is available since the traditional uprating formula, which has sometimes produced reductions in entitlement in the past, could not be used on this occasion because the measurement period for the transitional July uprating covered only May 1985 to January 1986.
§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will estimate (a) the number of awards of the supplementary benefit non-householder housing addition to those aged 21 to 24 years, (b) the number of households receiving housing benefit containing non-dependents between the ages of 21 and 24 years, in respect of whom deductions from housing benefit are made and (c) the net annual saving in benefit expenditure he expects to make as a result of the proposed changes to the rules governing non-householders and non-dependants aged between 21 and 24 years in July 1986;
(2) what is his latest estimate of the proportion of (a) pensioner households, (b) households with dependent children and (c) other households who are taking up their entitlement to standard rent rebates, rent allowances and rate rebates under the housing benefit scheme.
§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the cost of total expenditure on housing benefit payments for each financial year beginning in 1982–83 to the present, showing (a) the division between standard and certificated housing benefit, (b) the division between rate rebates, rent rebates and rent allowances and (c) the cost of housing benefit supplement.
§ Mr. MajorThe information is given in the tables.
378W
Table 1: Housing benefit expenditure—Great Britain £ million 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 Rent rebates Standard — 710 720 760 Certificated 330 1,280 1,430 1,530 Total 330 1,980 2,150 2,290 Rent allowances Standard — 160 210 250 Certificated — 380 460 530 Total — 540 670 780 Rate rebates Standard — 520 560 600 Certificated 120 700 820 920 Total 120 1,220 1,380 1,520
1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 All housing benefit Standard — 1,390 1,490 1,610 Certificated 450 2,350 2,710 2,980 Total 450 3,740 4,210 4,590
Table 2: Housing benefit supplement expenditure—Great Britain £ million 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 — 30 30 50 Notes:
1. Figures for 1985–86 are estimates and are subject to revision, as are earlier years in cases where individual authorities' claims have still to be finalised.
2. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million; consequently some totals may not be equal to the sum of their component parts.
3. Figures for 1982–83 reflect that sousing benefit was only introduced for some from November 1982. Housing benefit for all was introduced from April 1983.
§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the increase in expenditure if the housing benefit rent and rate tapers, mentioned in the social security White Paper (Cmnd. 9691), were instead set at (a) 37 per cent. on rent and 20 per cent. on rates and (b) 28 per cent. on rent and 10 per cent. on rates.
§ Mr. NewtonWe estimate that the increase in expenditure would be of the order of(a) £300 million and (b) £725 million.
§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the housing benefit paid to (a) a single pensioner under 79 years, (b) a single pensioner over 80 years, (c) a pensioner couple under 79 years, (d) a pensioner couple over 80 years, (e) a single parent, working, with one child under 16 years, (f) a couple, one working, with one child under 16 years, (g) a single parent, working, with two children under 16 years and (h)a couple, one working, with two children under 16 years where the rent and rates are (i) 25 per cent. below average, (ii) average and (iii) 25 per cent. above average and gross weekly income is (x) at the level of unemployment benefit and (y) earnings of £45, £55, £65, £75, £85, £95, £110 and £125 a week, under the current provisions and under the assumptions set out in the technical annex to Cmnd. 9691, including the 20 per cent. contribution to rates; and in each case at what level of income the entitlement to housing benefit would disappear.
§ Mr. NewtonI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
§ Mrs. Beckettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the latest estimates of the number of households receiving housing benefit in Great Britain, showing (a) the division between standard and certificated cases, (b) the division between home owners, council tenants and others, (c) the division between pensioner households, families with children and others, (d) the number receiving rent rebates or allowances only, (e) the number receiving both a rent rebate or allowance and a rate rebate and (f) the number receiving a rate rebate only.
§ Mr. Raynsfordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the latest 379W estimates of the number of households receiving housing benefit in Great Britain, showing (a) the division between standard and certificated cases, (b) the division between home owners, council tenants and others, (c) the division between pensioner households, families with children and others, (d) the number receiving rent and rebates or allowances only, (e) the number receiving both a rent rebate or allowance and a rate rebate and (f) the number receiving a rate rebate only.
§ Mr. Major[pursuant to his reply, 12 March 1986, c. 528–29]: I regret that there were a number of minor errors in the table in my reply to the hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett). The corrected information is as follows.
The latest available estimates, based on inquiry information which relates to the autumn of 1984, are given in the following table. Estimates for later dates are currently available only on the basis of a computer simulation model using family expenditure survey data.
Housing Benefit: Autumn 1984 Great Britain, thousands. Standard Housing Benefit* Certificated Housing Benefit† All Housing Benefit All Households 3,990 3,210 7,200 Home owners 1,580 690 2,270 Council tenants 1,850 1,970 3,820 Others 560 550 1,110 Pensioners 2,680 1,460 4,140 Families with children 760 920 1,680 Others 540 830 1,370 Rent rebate/allowance and rate rebate 1,900 2,400 4,300 Rent rebate/allowance only 300 100 400 Rate rebate only 1,800 700 2,500 * Estimates of standard housing benefit recipients are mainly derived from the DHSS September 1984 standard inquiry of local authorities supplemented by estimates at the same date made by a computer simulation model of housing benefit entitlement. † Estimates of certificated housing benefit recipients are derived from the August 1984 supplementary benefit quarterly inquiry. These estimates relate to those certificated to receive housing benefit. A very small proportion may not actually receive housing benefit because of the effect of deductions for non-dependent members of the household but reliable information is not available to quantify this. Notes:
Estimates of the numbers receiving rent and rate help, rent help only and rate help only are subject to a greater degree of error and are therefore rounded to the nearest 100,000. The remaining estimates are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
The individual figures given may not sum to the total as a result of rounding.