§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the cost of providing supplementary benefit to assist with mortgage interest and/or ground rent; what were the numbers of claimants and the average weekly payments for the years 1979 to 1988; and what is the estimate for the current year for the present system of support.
§ Mr. PortilloThe available figures are shown in the table. Information specifically on assistance with ground rent is not collected centrally nor, prior to 1981, was information on mortgage interest. No specific estimate has been made of expenditure on these items in the current year.