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Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by John Leech (Liberal Democrat). It was answered by Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative) on Monday, 8 December 2014 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.


Under-occupancy Penalty

Question

What estimate he made of the potential savings to the public purse that would arise from implementation of the under-occupancy penalty; and what estimate he has made of the amount saved to date by that implementation.

Answer

Before our reforms, the taxpayer had been paying for 820,000 spare rooms. To date, the policy has saved about £830 million from the housing benefit bill, and the estimated savings remain the same: approximately £500 million a year in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Those figures have been ratified by the Office for Budget Responsibility.


Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
906482 
589 cc632-3 
Session
2014-15
Oral question type
Lead
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Housing benefit Social rented housing
Link
View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk