§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the(a) maximum and (b) minimum amount of weekly housing allowance paid to a single unemployed person in the Doncaster area during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BurtThe maximum and minimum amounts of housing benefit paid to single unemployed persons in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, as at May 1992, the latest date for which information is available, were £55.59 and £4.44 respectively.
Data Source: The housing benefit and community charge benefit management information system and the income support annual statistical inquiry. The inquiries are a 1 per cent. sample of cases in Great Britain in May 1992.Notes:
1. The number of sample cases of the single unemployed in receipt of housing benefit from any individual local authority is likely to be very small. Therefore we cannot provide reliable figures for the minimum and maximum amount of housing benefit paid in Doncaster.
2. The data have been obtained from a 1 per cent. sample of cases, therefore, the figures are the maximum and minimum in the sample and the lowest and highest amount payable may not have been included.
3. "Housing allowance" has been assumed to mean housing benefit.
4. "Unemployed" has been defined as those in receipt of unemployment benefit.
5. 100 per cent. of eligible rent is paid for those with incomes at or below income support levels. Housing benefit is withdrawn on a tapered basis for each additional £1 of income above income support levels. This is reflected in the range of housing benefit in the sample.
§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secret ary of State for Social Security (1) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) of 3 February,Official Report, columns 837–38, regarding housing benefit, if he will give similar information for each region in Great Britain;
(2) if he will provide for Scotland similar information to that provided by the Secretary of State for Social Security, in his answer of 3 February, Official Report, columns 837–38, regarding housing benefit.
§ Mr. BurtI have been asked to reply.
137WDetails for May 1992, the latest date for which information is available, are in the table.
Housing Benefit Cases—000s—and average amounts of Housing Benefit—£/week—by tenure and region Local Authority Other Private Housing Association All Tenures Number of Cases Average Amount Number of Cases Average Amount Number of Cases Average Amount Number of Cases Average Amount South East (excluding London) 327 30.26 170 44.29 50 32.52 547 34.83 London 404 39.53 187 52.46 72 40.14 663 43.25 North (including Cumbria) 270 22.18 45 32.38 36 29.01 351 24.19 Wales 154 25.86 48 33.41 16 35.00 217 28.18 Scotland 459 22.12 57 36.85 21 25.43 537 23.81 Yorkshire and Humberside 286 20.65 67 32.86 24 29.97 377 23.42 East Midlands 190 22.67 62 33.97 12 29.52 264 25.64 East Anglia 88 25.59 37 38.60 11 29.71 136 29.44 South West 168 27.65 98 41.75 15 34.18 281 32.92 West Midlands 338 25.41 73 32.75 33 32.43 444 27.13 North West (excluding Cumbria) 346 24.47 104 37.04 52 26.78 502 27.31 Total 3,030 26.45 948 40.69 341 32.24 4,318 30.03 Data Source:
The housing benefit and community charge benefit management information system 1 per cent. inquiry for May 1992 and the income support annual statistical 1 per cent. inquiry for May 1992.
Notes:
1 The figures are in benefit units and are rounded to the nearest thousand. A benefit unit may be a single person or a couple.
2 The information for "Other Private Tenants" excludes that of housing association tenants.
3 All cases where the assessed benefit was less than 50p per week have been excluded.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by year for the last four years how much has been paid in housing benefit; and to how many households in the Doncaster area.
§ Mr. BurtThe information for Doncaster is in the table.
Financial year Annual expenditure £ Average case load 1989–90 20,027,000 23,625 1990–91 21,028,000 22,699 1991–92 23,809,000 22,571 1992–93 28,104,000 23,691 Data source:
The housing benefit management information system.
Notes:
1. The annual expenditure amounts are the final or audited figures supplied by DSS and DOE.
2. Details of the number of households receiving housing benefit in
District Office(s) Dates Times Reasons Euston Highgate 15 February 1994 From 2 pm Adverse weather conditions affecting travel (AWCAT) Hackney and Islington Hackney 14 February 1994 All day Heating failure Hoxton 14 February 1994 From 2 pm AWCAT Companies House 14 February 1994 From 2 pm AWCAT Shoreditch 14 February 1994 From 2 pm AWCAT Stoke Newington 14 February 1994 From 2 pm AWCAT City East City 14 February 1994 10 am to 2 pm Electrical failure Tameside Hyde 15 February 1994 All day Electrical failure Sheffield West District Sheffield North West 14 February 1994 From 2.30 pm AWCAT Sheffield South West 14 February 1994 From 2.30 pm AWCAT The decision to close an office to the public is the responsibility of each individual manager. Such decisions are not taken lightly and are only made where it is felt that there may be a risk to the health or safety of the staff involved. Where there is any disruption to public service, this is kept to a minimum.