Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that will be affected by the housing benefit under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: The introduction of the social sector size criteria measure is likely to affect an estimated 660,000 working age housing benefit claimants living in the social rented sector in Great Britain at the time of its introduction in 2013/14. This estimate is contained in the impact assessment of the housing benefit change, which was updated on 28 June 2012 to coincide with the laying of the associated draft regulations.