Housing Benefit

Margaret Moran

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the cost to landlords of the introduction of direct payment of local housing allowance in (a) 2009-10 and (b) each of the subsequent five years. (304643)

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants in each broad market rental area receive local housing allowance in excess of (a) £385 and (b) £965 per week. (305850)

[holding answer 10 December 2009]: Local housing allowance information is not available at broad market rental area level.

There are fewer than 100 people getting housing benefit of £1,000 or more under the local housing allowance arrangements—that represents just 0.01 per cent. of the total local housing allowance caseload.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in housing benefit on average to each recipient in each region in each of the last five years. (306519)

The most recent available information is in the tables.

*Average weekly amount of housing benefit by Government office region: August 2005 to August 2007*
£
	2005	2006	2007
Great Britain	63.64	67.47	71.44
North East	49.98	52.40	55.76
North West	55.38	57.98	61.48
Yorkshire and the Humber	50.82	53.51	56.40
East Midlands	51.93	56.95	58.35
West Midlands	55.84	58.85	63.12
East	63.35	67.18	70.98
London	97.10	103.62	109.15
South East	72.74	76.34	79.93
South West	62.18	65.51	69.30
Wales	53.53	56.15	59.90
Scotland	48.56	51.88	56.11

*Average weekly amount of housing benefit by Government office region: November 2008 to August 2009*
£
	2008	2009
Great Britain	76.79	81.41
North East	60.82	65.21
North West	66.66	70.90
Yorkshire and the Humber	61.11	64.75
East Midlands	63.52	67.34
West Midlands	68.40	71.87
East	76.28	81.17
London	116.59	123.68
South East	85.49	90.72
South West	74.34	78.73
Wales	64.37	68.50
Scotland	59.70	62.69
Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest penny. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. taken in August 2005, August 2006, August 2007. Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) taken in November 2008 and August 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discretion local authorities have to make direct payments to landlords through housing-related benefits. (304229)

Under the local housing allowance rules for calculating housing benefit, local authorities may pay housing benefit directly to landlords in the following circumstances:

when they consider that the tenant is unlikely to pay their rent; or

when they consider that the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their financial affairs; or

when payments have previously been made in the same award directly to the landlord because the tenant was in 8 or more weeks of arrears of rent; or

as a one-off payment where the tenant has moved leaving arrears of rent.

For housing benefit claims that are not assessed and paid under the local housing allowance rules, there are circumstances when the local authority may consider paying landlords directly:

as a one-off payment of arrears when a customer has left an address leaving arrears of rent;

at the customer’s request or with his consent; or

without the customer’s consent if it is in the interest of the customer and their family.

Where a customer has accrued rent arrears of eight weeks or more payment of housing benefit must be paid direct to the landlord.

Volume 502: debated on Monday 14 December 2009