asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the levels of housing benefit payments which have been made available to single families in each year since 1979.

It is estimated that expenditure on housing benefit received by lone parents is as follows:

	£ million
1982–83	80
1983–84	370
1984–85	430

The information for 1982–83 relates to the partial start of housing benefit from November 1982. Information relating to the former rent rebate and allowance and rent rebate schemes is not easily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate how many local staff of his Department will be fully involved in housing benefit work if the proposals of the review of social security are fully implemented.

This cannot be assessed until detailed procedures for administering the new scheme are decided.