§ Mrs. WiseTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is his estimate of the annual amount which will be saved as a result of the £2 cut on housing benefit transitional payments;
(2) what is his estimate of the saving in public expenditure which will result from his imposition of a closing date of 31 March 1989 for applications for housing benefit transitional payments.
(3) what is the estimated take-up of housing benefit transitional payments.
§ Mr. Peter LloydIn view of the number of applications for housing benefit transitional payments which continue to be received and to ensure the maximum take-up of these awards the closing date for receipt of housing benefit transitional payments has been extended to 30 June 1989. It is not yet possible to estimate either the final expenditure and caseload or the effect of the £2 flat rate deduction from 10 April 1989. By the time the closing date is reached we expect the vast majority of people eligible for transitional payments to have applied for them and we do not, therefore, expect any significant saving in expenditure.