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Written question asked by Anna Turley (Labour) on Thursday, 18 April 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 April 2019 (named day). It was answered by Will Quince (Conservative) on Thursday, 25 April 2019 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.


Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue the removal of the spare room subsidy has generated for the public purse since its introduction.

Answer

The removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) policy has not generated revenue for the public purse. However, this policy has saved over £1.7bn since its introduction in April 2013. A breakdown by financial year is provided in the table below:

Total Estimated Housing Benefit RSRS Deductions, 2013/14 to 2017/18 (£m pa)

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

385

365

355

335

320

Deductions figures do not take into account any additional savings due to behavioural change before/after the policy has been introduced, for example moving to a smaller property to avoid a deduction.

Figures do not include claimants on Universal Credit (UC) with a removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) deduction, as these data are not currently available.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
245853
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Housing benefit Social rented housing
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk