§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the savings to his Department resulting from each of the changes to(a) restrict the amount of housing benefit payable on rents above the local reference level of 50 per cent. of the difference, (b) calculate housing benefit on the basis of single room rent levels for people aged under 25 years and (c) introduce payment of housing benefit in arrears. [10974]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe information is set out in the table:
£ million 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 Restricting the amount of housing benefit payable on rents above the local reference level of 50 per cent. 58 113 141 Calculating housing benefit on the basis of single room rent levels for people aged under 25 13 57 62 Paying housing benefit in arrears 105 120 75
§ Mr. HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average amount of(a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit payable to claimants (i) with earnings from employment, (ii) also receiving family credit and (iii) also receiving disability working allowance. [10975]
§ Mr. EvansThe information is as follows:566W
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. John Denham, dated 20 January 1997: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking, how many cases of error in the calculation of Income Support for mortgage interest payments were identified in the 1994 review of such cases; and what was the average and total amount of error involved.As a result of the National Audit Office report a full review of the housing cost element of all Income Support cases was undertaken in 1994.At the end of June 1995 the review exercise had identified 308,590 cases in error, the total value being £85,505,632. Of that £77,865,018 were overpayments and £7,640,614 underpayments. Therefore the average value of error was £277.08.I hope you find this reply helpful.