HC Deb 23 June 1993 vol 227 cc210-1W
Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many requests nationally, and by region, for direct payments from a recipient's income support were made last year and the year before for help paying water debt; and how many were refused.

Mr. Burt

Regions were replaced by territories in April 1990. The information requested in respect of each of the Benefits Agency's three territories for the years April 1991 to March 1992 and April 1992 to March 1993 is in the table.

1 Figures refer to North Territory only as different arrangements for payment of water charges apply in Scotland.

Note: The figures used are based on Management Information Statistics collected by the Benefits Agency in the two 12, month periods ending March 1992 and March 1993. These figures are provisional and may be subject to amendment.