HC Deb 22 June 1998 vol 314 cc404-5W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is(a) the total cost to the Exchequer and (b) the cost per recipient of administering housing benefit. [46953]

Mr. Keith Bradley

The amount of Central Government subsidy paid to local authorities for administering Housing benefit in 1996/97 was £185 million. Administration costs quoted by local authorities in the same year were £312 million, giving an average weekly cost per beneficiary of £1.25. Related Department of Social Security administration costs are not available separately since they form part of the cost of administering Income Support.

Source:

Government Expenditure Plans 1998/99.

Mr. Roy

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will publish for each Scottish local authority for each of the last two years, the number of housing benefit overpayments and the number and percentage of those which were fraudulent errors. [45267]

Mr. Field

Information for 1996/97, the first year of Scottish local government reorganisation, is set out in the table. Information for 1997/98 is not yet available.

Housing Benefit overpayments and number and percentage which were fraudulent—Scottish Local Authorities 1996/97
Fraudulent overpayments
Local authority Total overpayments Numbers Percentage
Aberdeen 12,916 122 0.9
Aberdeenshire 2,736 49 1.8
Angus 848 67 7.9
Argyll-Bute 2,292 1,271 55.4
Clackmannanshire 1,991 24 1.2
Dumfries and Galloway 4,552 276 6.1
Dundee 10,061 821 8.2
East Ayrshire 3,213 116 3.6
East Dunbartonshire 721 4 0.5
East Lothian 2,063 82 4.0
East Renfrewshire 326 39 12.0
Edinburgh 42,129 790 1.9
Falkirk 15,604 198 1.3
Fife 15,550 317 2.0
Glasgow 49,489 335 0.7
Highland 7,440 234 3.1
Inverclyde 1,612 34 2.1
Midlothian 3,464 77 2.2
Moray 4,901 297 6.1
North Ayrshire 2,893 0 0.0
North Lanarkshire 15,525 28 0.2
Orkney 1,036 45 4.3
Perth and Kinross 2,372 344 14.5
Renfrewshire 3,092 241 7.8
Scottish Borders 3,899 22 0.6
Shetland 1,732 90 5.2
South Ayrshire 2,120 300 14.1
South Lanarkshire1 8,675 33 0.4
Stirling 4,179 101 2.4
West Dunbartonshire 3,508 137 4.0
West Lothian 4,242 77 1.8
Western Isles 980 0 0.0
1Pre audit data only available for South Lanarkshire

Note:

Percentages rounded to nearest 0.1 per cent

Source:

1996/97 audited Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Subsidy claim