asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has recently received from elderly citizens, individually and through their reperesentative organisations, regarding the changes in housing benefits; and if he will make a statement as to how retirement pensioners have been affected by such changes in Government policy.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Murphy) on 18 March at column 378. The changes introduced in November were carefully designed to ensure that the poorest were protected. Those receiving supplementary benefit or with incomes below the housing benefits needs allowance — for pensioners up to about £10 a week above basic retirement pension levels—were not, in most cases, affected by the changes. For the great majority of pensioner householders the average loss in November will have been 32p a week.