§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many housing benefit claimants have had their benefit reduced by non-dependant deductions over the past year; and what this represents as a percentage of the total of housing benefit claimants;
(2) if he will estimate the total number of non-dependants in respect of whom reductions of housing benefit are currently being made.
§ Mr. PortilloFigures are not available either for the total number of housing benefit claimants or for the number affected by the non-dependant deduction provisions. The available information shows that, as at autumn 1986, 710,000 housing benefit recipients had a non-dependant deduction made in respect of one or more non-dependants. This represents 10 per cent. of the total number of housing benefit recipients.
Information on the number of non-dependants in respect of whom reductions of housing benefit are being made is not available in full. In 1986 the total number of non-dependants for whom reductions were made in certificated housing benefit cases was 370,000, but I regret that no information is available in this form for standard housing benefit.