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Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2009

My Lords, that point is very much behind this change that we are introducing. It is a difficult line to tread. Looking at work incentives, if through the benefits system you are able routinely to access better, larger properties than you might be able to afford if you were in employment, then there is an issue that needs to be addressed. Everyone would accept that there has to be some limit on the size of the property. I do not think there would be great disagreement about that. There is clearly some disagreement about how to set the parameters of that, but the review which we will undertake will, I hope, provide broader evidence on how the current policy is working and how we might move forward on housing benefit issues. To conclude, I hope that the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, will not press her Motion to a vote. We considered the alternatives to and the impact of this cap very carefully. We believe that capping the local authority housing allowance at the five-bedroom rate is a fair response to the excessive payments of benefit that larger properties can attract. We must ensure that housing benefit rules do not allow people to take on rents that would leave them without any incentive to work, that the rules are fair to hardworking families who are not claiming benefit, and that housing benefit is affordable and represents value for money for the taxpayer.