HC Deb 09 July 1992 vol 211 c342W
Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the extra cost in 1992–93 of extending payments to working income support claimants by way of mortgage interest outgoings to those working between 16 and 24 qualifying hours.

Mr. Burt

The cost of continuing to pay income support to people working between 16 and 24 hours a week when the remunerative work rule changed from April 1992 has been estimated to be £30 million in the first year. It is not possible to estimate with any degree of confidence how much income support in respect of mortgage interest is included in that figure.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 2 June,Official Report, column 483, how many single people aged 18 to 24 years were receiving income support at the 18 to 24 years rate in May 1990; and what is the estimated number who were then living away from home, as defined in his answer.

Mr. Burt

In May 1990 the number of single people aged 18 to 24 receiving income support at the 18 to 24-year-old rate was 423,0001. There is no comparable figure for the number of these who were living away from home. However, as I stated in my reply of 2 June at column 483, it is estimated that in 1992–93 180,0002 18 to 24-year-olds, who receive the 18 to 24 income support personal allowance, are living away from home.

Note: "Living away from home" includes people classified by the FES as the head of the household, plus all those living in the household of a person who is a non-relative.

Source: 1 Income Support Annual Statistical Inquiry, May 1990.

2 Modelled using data from the 1987–89 Family Expenditure Survey.