HC Deb 08 December 1994 vol 251 cc366-7W
Mrs. Maddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost of administering the housing benefit system for the last financial year available.

Mr. Roger Evans

Local authorities estimate that they spent £255 million on administering the housing benefit scheme for the 1992–93 year.

Source: Social Security Department Report 1994.

Mrs. Maddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average expenditure on housing benefit per claimant for(a) council tenants, (b) housing association tenants and (c) private sector tenants, for each year since 1979 in constant prices.

Mr. Roger Evans

The available information is set out in the table:

Average amount of housing benefit Real terms 1994–95 prices (£)
Private tenants
Great Britain Local authority tenants All private tenants Housing association tenants Other private tenants
May 1988 21.28 25.21 N/A N/A
May 1989 21.78 26.43 N/A N/A
May 1990 23.00 29.57 N/A N/A
May 1991 24.88 35.60 N/A N/A
May 1992 27.80 40.42 33.89 42.76
May 1993 29.53 44.48 36.47 47.74
Source:
HBMIS
Notes:
1 All figures in the tables have come from the Housing Benefit Management Information System (HBMIS) 1 per cent. samples.
2 Information for earlier years is not available.

Mr. Soley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the cost of housing benefit after the changes introduced in the Budget for 1995–96, 1996–97 and 1997–98.

Mr. Roger Evans

This information will be published in the Social Security departmental report in the normal way.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many housing benefit review boards were held in each English and Welsh local authority in each year since 1986.

Mr. Roger Evans

The information requested is not collected.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals were received by each housing benefit review board in England and Wales in each year since 1986; of these, how many were heard and determined at a hearing; and what was the number of successful appeals.

Mr. Roger Evans

The information is not available.

Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the estimated cost to a local authority of administering, hearing and determining a review board appeal.

Mr. Roger Evans

The information is not available.

Responsibility for operating review boards lies with individual local authorities. It is not possible to make a representative estimate of these costs to an individual authority since detailed information is not collected about particular aspects of their operating costs. In addition, review board costs could vary widely depending upon the arrangements made by individual authorities.