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Housing Benefit (Rent Restrictions)
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households with children were subject to housing benefit restrictions in 1997-98. [75929]
Angela Eagle: As at 31 May 1997, some 300,000 Housing Benefit recipients with children were subject to Housing Benefit restrictions, principally because of income or non-dependant deductions.
- Notes:
- 1. Information refers to benefits units, which may be a single person or a couple.
- 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
- 3. Figures do not include restriction because of Rent Officers determinations or restrictions to the eligible rent due to the Local Reference rent scheme.
- Source:
- Housing Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample inquiries with and without Income Support/JSA(IB), taken at the end of May 1997.
Ms Buck:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many households on income support were subject to rent restrictions affecting their housing benefit entitlement in 1997-98; and what was the average value of the restriction; [75933]
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(3) what was the total estimated saving arising from rent restrictions on housing benefit in 1997-98; and what was the total for each London borough; [75930]
(4) how many households have been subject to rent restrictions (a) in total and (b) in each London borough since 1997. [75932]
Angela Eagle:
We do not centrally collect information of individuals' contractual rent because it will commonly include items not eligible for Housing Benefit. As a result the information requested is not available in the requested format.
The measures which limit the rent for Housing Benefit purposes are; certain service charges included in the contractual rent which are not generally eligible for Housing Benefit, for example, charges for cleaning, laundry, fuel, meals and personal care and nursing; the range of determinations, including determinations of single room rents, made by rent officers in respect of most claims from tenants living in the private rented sector; and where local authorities consider that the rent is unreasonably high or the accommodation overlarge or the eligible rent is none the less too high in respect of a particular case.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many representations he has received from individuals on his Department's computer system in Newcastle during the last nine months; and if he will make a statement. [76444]
Mr. Timms:
During the last nine months we have received 76 parliamentary questions and 82 representations by letter relating to the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS).
I refer the hon. Member to the written answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Thomas) on 15 March 1999, Official Report, columns 486-88.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will name the Ministers in his Department who are regular users of electronic red boxes. [76167]
Mr. Timms:
I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer from my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, on 16 March 1999, Official Report, columns 651-52.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of households below average income receive their main income from (a) paid employment and (b) benefits, indicating the benefits concerned; and if he will provide the same figures from the inception of the relevant survey. [76198]
Angela Eagle
[holding answer 12 March 1999]: The information is in the table.
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(2) how many people have been affected by single room rent restrictions since October 1996; and what have been the estimated savings; [75931]
| Main source of a household's income (percentage of total population of households) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Benefits | Employment | Other | Total |
| 1994-95 | 55 | 36 | 9 | 100 |
| 1995-96 | 53 | 38 | 9 | 100 |
| 1996-97 | 52 | 38 | 10 | 100 |
Notes:
1. 1994-95 is the earliest year for which the FRS based HBAI series is available. 1996-97 is the latest year for which information is available.
2. For the purposes of this analysis, 'benefits' were taken to be:
Family Credit, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Social Fund (all components), State Retirement Pensions, Jobseeker's Allowance/Unemployment Benefit, Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Disability Working Allowance, Invalid Care Allowance, War Pensions, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Child Benefit, One Parent Benefit, Windows Benefit, Guardians Allowance, Maternity Allowance, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Benefits, Back to Work Bonuses, Income from Government Training Schemes.
3. For the purposes of this analysis, 'main source of income' is defined as being the largest of the three sources of income outlined in the table.
4. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income which is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household).
5. It is standard HBAI practice to give results for income both before and after housing costs, in order to allow for the effect of variations in housing costs between households. In this case, the results are only quoted before housing costs, as they were invariant to the use of the two different income measures.
Source:
All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which are based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland.
War Pensions Agency
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons union facility time has been reduced to 10 days in the War Pensions Agency. [77186]
Mr. Bayley: The administration of the War Pensions Agency is a matter for its Chief Executive, Mr. Gordon Hextall. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Gordon Hextall to Mr. Hilton Dawson, dated 16 March 1999:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the reasons why War Pensions Agency has reduced union facility time to 10 days.
I can confirm that War Pensions Agency has not reduced facility time to 10 days and has no intentions of doing so. Facility time arrangements are reviewed annually and negotiations are currently taking place with unions. These are not due to be completed until the end of March.
Any alterations to the current arrangements will be done in consultation with full-time union officials and will fully abide by Departmental guidelines.
I hope you find my reply helpful.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Royal Ulster Constabulary
Mr. Maginnis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers and of what
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ranks are engaged exclusively in (a) complaints and discipline and (b) drug squad duties in the Royal Ulster Constabulary; and what is the total manpower of the RUC. [75907]
Mr. Ingram:
The number and ranks of police officers exclusively engaged in (a) Complaints and Discipline and (b) Drug Squad duties as at 11 March 1999 are shown in the table.
| Rank | Complaints and discipline | Drugs Squad |
|---|---|---|
| ACC | 1 | 0 |
| Supt. Ranks | 11 | 1 |
| Chief Inspector | 26 | 1 |
| Insp. | 10 | 2 |
| Sergt. | 9 | 8 |
| Con. | 9 | 77 |
| Total | 66 | 89 |
The total manpower at the same date is 8,488 RUC, 3,202 RUCR full-time and 1,765 RUCR part-time.
Mr. Maginnis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of man/days identified as having been spent in the investigation of (a) malicious complaints and (b) false information within the Royal Ulster Constabulary during each year from 1996 to 1998. [75905]
Mr. Ingram:
(a) There is no offence of making malicious complaints against the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
(b) The information necessary for this question to be answered is not available.
Mr. Maginnis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were charged with (a) wasting police time and (b) making malicious complaints against the Royal Ulster Constabulary, during each year from 1996 to 1998. [75906]
Mr. Ingram:
(a) The number of persons proceeded against for the offence of "wasteful employment of police time" in each of the three years 1996 to 1998 is as follows:
| Year | Persons proceeded against | Guilty |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4 | 4 |
| 1997 | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 (to 31 March)(6) | 1 | 1 |
(6) Most recent data available
Note:
These figures are not in respect of complaints against the police
(b) There is no offence of "making malicious complaints" against the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
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