§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing how much was spent on standard housing benefit for each year between 1982–83 and 1987–88 in 1987–88 prices.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe information requested is given in the table.
Standard housing benefit expenditure at 1987–88 prices £ million 1982–83 1,395 1983–84 1,666 1984–85 1,680 1985–86 1,754 1986–87 1,841 1987–88 1,829 Note:
The housing benefit scheme for standard cases did not begin until 1983–84. The information for 1982–83 is for rent and rate rebate and rent allowance schemes operated by the Department of the Environment.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of claimants of housing benefit supplement in the week preceeding 4 April in each local authority area, and the number of claimants of housing benefit supplement for the subsequent week on a similar basis.
§ Mr. LofthouseTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many new claims for housing benefit supplement were received at(a) the Pontefract and (b) the Castleford office from 1 November 1987 to 30 August 1988.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe only information available is that obtained from the housing benefit subsidy claims submitted by local authorities. It is not available for300W individual local offices. This information shows the number of housing benefit supplement cases in payment at 31 March in each year. The available returns for the years 1986–87 and 1987–88 have been placed in the Library.
Some figures for 1987–88 are provisional.
As part of our reform of social security, housing benefit supplement ceased to be paid on 1 or 4 April 1988. There will, therefore, be no cases in payment after these dates.
Castleford and Pontefract local offices deal with Wakefield metropolitan borough council. The Pontefract local office also deals with Selby district council. Both local authorities however deal with other local offices as well.