Written question asked by Nigel Waterson (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 March 2010. It was answered by Helen Goodman (Labour) on Monday, 29 March 2010 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Council Tax Benefits

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate her Department has made of the potential number of additional claimants who will claim council tax benefit when it is renamed council tax rebate.

Answer: The Government want to ensure people get the help they are entitled to with their council tax bills and has an ongoing programme of work to encourage them to claim. Renaming council tax benefit as a rebate would help remove a barrier that may prevent some people claiming and we have taken steps to make this important change. We have not made an assessment at this time of the precise impact on take-up that renaming council tax benefit may have but are gathering data that will enable us to make a robust estimate of the additional number of people who would claim council tax rebate.

Secondary information