asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners were in receipt of social security payments in Brighton and Leicester, respectively, in 1986; how many of those will be required to pay 20 per cent. of their rates bill under the provisions of the Social Security Act 1986; what will be the average weekly payment by such pensioners towards rates on the assumption that their rate liability will be unchanged from 1986–87; and how many such pensioners will be paying rates for the first time when the new requirement comes into force.

The numbers of pensioners in receipt of supplementary pension in the areas covered by Brighton and Leicester local offices are as follows:

	Number
Brighton	7,119
Leicester	18,303

Information on the number of pensioners in receipt of housing benefit in the areas of Brighton and Leicester local authorities is not available. However the total numbers of rate rebate recipients for 1985–86 for each area were as follows:

	Number
Brighton	24,037
Leicester	46,046

These figures are likely to include many of the supplementary pensioners mentioned in the previous figures.The sample data used for illustrative purposes in the technical annex to the White Paper "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691) are not broken down by specific areas. It is, therefore, not possible to analyse the potential effect of a minimum contribution to rates by all households as requested.