§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the impact in Wales of the £140 reduction in community charge on the eligibility to claim housing benefit.
§ Mr. David HuntCommunity charge payers throughout Wales will benefit directly from the £62 million we have made available under the community charge reduction scheme and from the additional £300 million we have secured for the general reduction scheme which was announced on 19 March. The overall effect of these schemes, taken together with the realistic local government finance settlement we have made for 1991–92, is that the average charge payable in Wales will be no more than £95 before taking into account eligibility for community charge benefit. Eligibility to claim housing benefit is not affected by these arrangements.