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Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support claimants had mortgage interest included in assessment of income support; what was the annual equivalent mortgage interest included in assessment of income support for each year since 1979 for assessments during the first 16 weeks of the claim, and others beyond that period; and what is his estimate of the current number of claimants affected, and the current total amount of mortgage interest included.
Miss Widdecombe
[holding answer 27 February 1992]: The table gives estimates from 1979 to 1990, the latest year for which information is available:
| Year | Number of claimants receiving help with mortgage interest (000's) | Amount includes in assessments £ million |
| 1979 | 98 | — |
| 1980 | 134 | — |
| 1981 | 196 | — |
| 1982 | 235 | — |
| 1983 | 242 | — |
| 1984 | 277 | 219 |
| 1985 | 1— | 1— |
| 1986 | 356 | 351 |
| 1987 | 334 | 335 |
| Year | Number with half mortgage interest | Amount £ | Number with full mortgage interest | Amount £ |
| 1988 | 38 | 33 | 262 | 253 |
| 1989 | 30 | 34 | 251 | 319 |
| 1990 | 40 | 71 | 270 | 483 |
| Source: Supplementary Benefit/Income Support Statistical Enquiries 1979–1990. | ||||
| 1: No enquiry was undertaken for 1985. | ||||