§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements will be made, following the recent changes to hostel board and lodging charges, to cover charges for ineligible services once the present transitional arrangement period ends; and what is the position for the payment of ineligible services payments for new hostels.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardHostel dwellers are expected to meet their normal, day-to-day service charges from income support, in the same way as other income support recipients. As explained in the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Moore) on 16 March (Official Report, column 546), from April 1991 the money expended by the central unit to maintain hostel income will be transferred to existing funding sources. We would expect hostels to take this into account when setting their charges. The Department of Social Security has transferred a total of over £2 million in a full year to the Department of the Environment, Scottish and Welsh Offices to help certain new hostels.