§ 117. Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement regarding community charge rebates.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe Department of Social Security is responsible for community charge benefit. Community charge benefit replaced rate rebates in April 1990 and will help about 10 million charge payers in Great Britain in 1990–91 at an estimated cost of around £2.5 billion. Community charge benefit is more generous than the rate rebate scheme it replaced. The lower benefit taper—15 per cent. in community charge benefit as opposed to 20 per cent. in the rate rebate scheme—will bring an estimated extra 800,000 claimants on to benefit at a cost of over £200 million. The doubled upper capital limit of £16,000 is estimated to increase the number of community charge benefit cases by 130,000 at a cost of £35 million.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of people in Scotland and the Borders currently receiving community charge rebates.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe latest information supplied by Borders regional council shows that just over 11,700 community charge rebates were in payment on 31 August 1989. Rebates to couples are counted as one rebate. The comparable figure for Scotland is about 900,000.