§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the estimated annual savings for(a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit that will be generated by reducing to one month the time limit for their backdating. [7635]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyIt is not possible to make precise estimates of the annual savings from this proposal because decisions on claims for backdating in housing benefit and council tax benefit, which are made by local authorities, are based on the circumstances surrounding each individual case. The best available estimate is that the measure may produce savings of up to £15 million in a full year.