§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to make all payments of housing benefit payable directly to the landlord of the property concerned. [9190]
§ Mr. Roger EvansNone.
§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of the changes to housing benefit in the Budget on(a) single unemployed people who have inherited a tenancy from their parents and (b) unemployed people who are widowed or divorced and left with the tenancy of the house. [8571]
§ Mr. Evans[holding answer 11 December 1996]: The proposed changes to the housing benefit scheme would apply only to tenants in the deregulated private rented sector. Generally, under such tenancies children do not have the right to succeed to an assured tenancy if the parent dies. We have no data to enable us to identify the status of the person who becomes responsible for the tenancy.