To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the standard spending assessment for councils incorporates moneys to compensate councils for disregarding war pensions for housing benefit and council tax benefit. [76982]

The mandatory War Pension disregards are funded in the same way as other expenditure for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. The bulk of this expenditure is met by central Government subsidy. Local authorities have discretionary powers to disregard up to the full amount of a War Disablement Pension and War Widow's Pension not already covered by the statutory disregard. However, any benefit payable as a result of such discretion is funded from local authorities' own resources. It is for each local authority to decide, how much, if anything, it can afford.