§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of(a) the cost and (b) the numbers benefiting financially if the housing benefit taper for people receiving a disability premium were reduced to 50 per cent. [26343]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe estimated cost of reducing the housing benefit taper to 50 per cent. for claimants with a disability premium is £70 million; 245,000 existing claimants would gain, while a further 15,000 would be newly entitled to receive housing benefit.
Notes:
- 1. Estimates are based on the family expenditure surveys of 1991, 1992 and 1993, uprated to 1996–97 prices and benefit levels.
- 2. Expenditure estimates are rounded to the nearest £5 million, and caseloads to the nearest 5,000.