§ Sir Ian GilmourTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated cost of community charge benefit and transitional protection during 1990–91 and 1991–92; and what was the cost of rate rebates in each year since 1980, at current and at 1990 prices.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe estimated expenditure on community charge benefit for 1990–91 is £2.25 billion. The estimate for 1991–92 is just over £2 billion, this takes account of estimated expenditure on the community charge transitional relief and reduction schemes for 1990–91 and 1991–92 of £384 million and £1,852 million respectively.
The information requested on rate rebate expenditure is listed in the table. Before 1982–83 assistance with housing costs was through the supplementary benefit scheme administered by the Department, and the rebate and allowance scheme run by the Department of the Environment. Housing benefit was introduced for some 483W supplementary benefit claimants from November 1982 with full implementation for all claimants following from April 1983.
The data for the years prior to 1982–83 are based on the rent rebate and allowance and rate rebate schemes only. The data for 1982–83 combine information from both the old and the new schemes.
Current prices £ million 1990–91 prices £ million 1980–81 270 494 1981–82 390 651 1982–83 560 873 1983–84 1,220 1,817 1984–85 1,354 1,919 1985–86 1,479 1,988 1986–87 1,635 2,125 1987–88 1,714 2,113 1988–89 1,373 1,577 1989–90 1,261 1,362 Notes:
1. In 1988–89 maximum rates rebate was reduced from 100 per cent. to 80 per cent.
2. Rates were replaced by community charge in 1989–90 in Scotland.
§ Mr. NellistTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish the details of the poll tax benefit caseload, at the latest convenient date, for(a) Coventry, (b) Warwickshire and (c) each standard region;
(2) if he is now in a position to give a substantive answer to the question from the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East, on poll tax benefit, to which a holding answer was given on Thursday 13 December 1990, written question 44.
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 13 December 1990]: The latest available information, counting couples as one claim, and based on benefit caseload processed by 31 August 1990 is in the table.
Caseload Coventry 42,511 Warwickshire 45,864 Standard Regions North (including Cumbria) 499,000 Yorks and Humberside 658,000 East Midlands 486,000 East Anglia 223,000 London 675,000 South East (excluding London) 933,000 South West 466,000 West Midlands 664,000 North West (excluding Cumbria) 963,000 Wales 381,000 Scotland 778,000 Source: Community Charge Benefit and Housing Benefit Management Information System quarterly stock count of claims at 31 August 1990.
The August 1990 figures are likely to underestimate the current position because some authorities still had a number of unprocessed claims at that time.