HC Deb 26 March 2002 vol 382 cc982-3W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many retirement pensioners are receiving(a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit in (i) Great Britain and (ii) each region of Great Britain. [39547]

Malcolm Wicks

The information is in the table.

Retirement pensioners receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit in Great Britain and by region: May 2000
Region Retirement pensioners receiving housing benefit Retirement pensioners receiving council tax benefit
Great Britain 1,490,000 2,153,000
North East 93,000 130,000
NorthWest 189,000 289,000
Yorkshire and the Humber 147,000 209,000
East Midlands 99,000 150,000
West Midlands 150,000 232,000
East 125,000 183,000
London 176,000 223,000
South East 155,000 216,000
SouthWest 103,000 161,000
Wales 71,000 112,000
Scotland 182,000 248,000

Notes:

1. The figures are based on a 1 per cent, sample and are subject to sampling error.

2. The data refer to people claiming housing benefit, who may be single people, or one of a couple or a family. More than one person claiming can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share arrangement.

3. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

4. The totals may not sum due to rounding.

5. Retirement pensioners are defined as people where either they and/or their partner are receiving state retirement pension.

Source:

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent, sample, taken in May 2000.

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