To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes have been made to the benefit system since 1979 to encourage those on benefit to enter education while still looking for work.

Housing benefit—Great Britain (Rent rebates and allowances)
	(i) LA tenants			(ii)&(iii) Private and Housing Association tenants
	(a) Pensioner	(b) Family	(c) Other	(a) Pensioner	(b) Family	(c) Other
Premium:
1. Maximum benefit	752,000	565,000	406,000	221,00	110,000	253,000
2. Maximum with Non-dependant deduction	104,000	31,000	67,000	15,000	5,000	8,000
3. Other Lesser amount	819,000	72,000	143,000	178,000	11,000	152,000

56 per cent. of local authority tenants receive Housing Benefit, of which 32 per cent. are pensioners, 13 per cent. are families and 12 per cent other.42 per cent. of private and housing association tenants receive Housing Benefit, of which 18 per cent. are pensioners, 5 per cent. families and 18 per cent other.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether optional tenant improvements added to local authority or housing association rents in Scotland qualify for assessment in eligibility for housing benefit.

Housing benefit is intended to meet reasonable accommodation costs. Broadly this means rent and any compulsory service charges which are clearly related to the provision of adequate accommodation. A rent increase may be met by housing benefit if local

In 1979 the concession—known as the 21-hour rule—which enabled unemployed people under 21 years of age to receive supplementary benefit while studying part-time was extended to those over 21 who had been unemployed for a year or more. In 1982, the qualifying period of unemployment was reduced from 12 to three months and periods of participation in the youth training scheme became eligible to be counted towards entitlement to supplementary benefit under this rule. These changes were carried through to the income support scheme which replaced supplementary benefit in 1988.