Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of housing benefit claims in respect of which a request for backdating was approved resulted in the payment of arrears for a period of (a) less than one month, (b) one month only, (b) between one and three months and (d) between three and six months in the most recent period for which figures are avilable.

Information on the number of Housing Benefit claims that were backdated is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.