§ Mr. LeightonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the latest annual figures for the London borough of Newham for the number of recipients of income support, direct payments, social fund, child support and housing benefit; and what were the comparable figures for each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Ron Leighton, dated 27 October 1992:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking what were the latest annual figures for the London Borough of Newham for the number of recipients of Income Support, Direct Payments, Social Fund, Child Support and Housing Benefit; and what were the comparable figures for each of the past 10 years.The complete range of information is not available except at a disproportionate cost. This is because statistics of a local nature are destroyed at regular intervals in accordance with standing instructions.I have listed below the information available on each subject requested.Housing Benefit
The administration of Housing Benefit is a matter for Local Authorities. The tabled information shows the number of cases in receipt of Housing Benefit in the London Borough of Newham. The data has been obtained from the Housing Benefit Management Information System. The figure for February 1990 includes 2,877 customers in receipt of a rate rebate which altered to Community Charge Benefit by February 1991.
Number of recipients of Housing Benefit February 1990 February 1991 February 1992 32,000 28,193 30,139 Income Support
The figures quoted are for the areas covered by the 753W Plaistow, Canning Town and Stratford offices, which make up the Benefits Agency's Newham District. It is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown because the District boundary does not correspond with that of the Borough of Newham.
February 1991 February 1992 Recipients of income support 37,692 41,628 Direct payments made from benefit to third parties 3,116 5,132 Social Fund
Social Fund statistics relate to the number of applications made rather than the number of actual applicants.
March 1991 March 1992 Number of applications 1,156 2,282 Number of awards 709 1,235 Child Support
Child support statistics relate to the number of Income Support cases in which there may be a liability to child support rather than the actual numbers where child support is actually in payment.
February 1991 2,752 February 1992 3,225 I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. Copies are also being placed in the Library.