§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many private renting tenants were in receipt of Housing Benefit in(a) Greater London and (b) Enfield for each year since 1990; what was the average Housing Benefit paid in each of those years; and if he will make a statement. [114637]
§ Angela EagleThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
February Total private renting tenants Average Housing Benefit (£ per week) Greater London 1993 279,000 52.90 1994 325,000 60.30 1995 351,000 66.60 1996 365,000 70.00 1997 353,000 72.40 1998 335,000 73.70 1999 318,000 75.30 Enfield 1993 6,010 53.00 1994 7,080 60.70 1995 7,480 68.90 1996 8,530 75.10 1997 9,360 78.20 1998 8,920 79.40 1999 8,620 79.70 Notes:
1. The figures supplied are for February of each financial year.
2. The figures for caseload have been rounded to the nearest thousand for Great Britain and to the nearest 10 for the Local Authority,
3. The figures for average Housing Benefit have been rounded to the nearest 10 pence.
4. Data for any authority that did not supply information will have been estimated.
Source:
Housing Benefit Management Information System, Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload inquiries taken in February of each year since 1993.
§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress has been made on the standardisation of Housing Benefit administration and delivery by local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [114697]
§ Angela EagleWe aim to transform the delivery of Housing Benefit so that local authorities provide a faster, more accurate service which is more secure against fraud, and which provides value for money and takes account of the views and needs of residents and taxpayers.
We are using the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate to help drive up standards of administration through its programme of inspections, working in partnership with local authorities to identify both areas for improvement and good practices. In February 1999 the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate published a good practice guide that was sent to all local authorities which was followed by a programmed series of seminars for local authority managers. An updated version of the good practice guide will be published later this year.
318WIn appropriate cases my right hon. Friend will be prepared to exercise powers under section 139D of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to direct an authority to attain improved standards of administration following a report from the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate.
In addition, we are setting Best Value performance indicators from next month, which target key areas such as speed of delivery, accuracy and security. Local authorities will be required to set and meet challenging targets against these indicators and demonstrate that they are achieving continuous improvements in the standards of service they provide.