§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the information contained in housing benefit and council tax benefit subsidy claim form MPF 720A submitted by each local authority in Gloucestershire in(a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95. [16141]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe information has been placed in the Library.
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§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each local authority in Gloucestershire in(a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95 (i) statistic 124 of local authority housing benefit and council tax benefit administration data, (ii) statistic 122, quarterly stock costs, giving caseload—claimants with housing benefit and/or council tax benefit not in receipt of income support—and (iii) statistic 122, quarterly stock costs, giving caseload—claimants with housing benefit and/or council tax benefit also in receipt of income support. [16140]
§ Mr. EvansForm STATS 124 is used to collect data concerning the administration of the housing benefit and council tax benefit schemes, and is used essentially for the purposes of producing national estimates. The Department does not publish information from this form on an individual local authority basis due to concerns about its robustness at that level.
Information from the quarterly caseload stock counts, taken on forms STATS 121 and 122, is set out in the tables.
Table 1: Average housing benefit/council tax benefit caseload for each local authority in Gloucestershire—1994–95 Local authority Housing benefit with income support Council tax benefit with income support Housing benefit without income support Council tax benefit without income support Cheltenham 4,860 5,610 2,670 3,370 Cotswold 2,130 2,690 2,120 2,450 Forest of Dean 2,500 3,680 1,580 2,690 Gloucester 5,460 6,360 2,400 3,240 Stroud 3,300 4,380 2,410 3,640 Tewkesbury 1,880 2,460 1,500 2,330 Notes:
1. Figures given are an average of the four quarters in each year.
2. Figures refer to benefit rules which may be a single person or couple.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten.
4. Council tax benefit was introduced from April 1993.
Source:
Housing benefit management information system, quarterly 100 per cent. caseload enquiries taken at the end of May, August, November and February in each year given.
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Table 2: Average housing benefit caseload for each local authority in Gloucestershire—1992–93 Local authority Housing benefit with income support Housing benefit without income support Cheltenham 4,210 2,640 Cotswold 1,900 2,120 Forest of Dean 2,020 1,560 Gloucester 4,580 2,380 Stroud 2,940 2,500 Tewkesbury 1,690 1,550
Table 3: Average housing benefit council tax benefit caseload for each local authority in Gloucestershire—1993–94 Local authority Housing benefit with income support Council tax benefit with income support Housing benefit without income support Council tax benefit without income support Cheltenham 4,610 5,330 2,690 3,550 Cotswold 2,090 2,730 2,140 2,700 Forest of Dean 2,350 3,530 1,620 2,780 Gloucester 4,970 5,800 2,420 3,410 Stroud 3,210 4,320 2,410 3,910 Tewkesbury 1,840 2,460 1,520 2,520
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each local authority in Gloucestershire in(a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94 and (c) 1994–95 the housing benefit expenditure incurred in meeting rents above the rent officer determined level for applicants not belonging to the groups described in regulations 11(3) and 6(b) of the Housing Benefit General Regulations 1987. [16142]
§ Mr. EvansThe information is as set out in the table:
1992–93 (£) 1993–94 (£) 1994–95 (£) Cheltenham 1,840 3,206 1,304 Cotswold 4,143 3,042 3,688 Forest of Dean 1,272 2,157 1,928 Gloucester City 0 9,962 17,223 Stroud 5,331 13,154 13,581 Tewkesbury 1,674 2,254 2,836 Source:
Audited final housing benefit and community charge benefit/council tax benefit claim forms for each year.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each local authority in Gloucestershire the budget for the current year for discretionary payments of housing benefit in cases of exceptional hardship. [16144]
§ Mr. EvansTo meet cases of exceptional hardship, local authorities are able to spend up to 0.15 per cent. of their expenditure on deregulated tenancies referred to the rent officer. To help authorities with this cost, central Government provide a contribution by way of a subsidy addition. For 1995–96 the amount of subsidy addition available to authorities in Gloucestershire is as follows:
Authority Amount £ Cheltenham 5,532 Cotswold 2,309 Forest of Dean 1,968 Gloucester City 7,951 Stroud 3,272 Tewkesbury 1,578 The maximum amount authorities will be able to spend is approximately double these sums.