Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the projected annual savings to the public purse as a result of the reduction in housing benefit payments due to the operation of the under-occupancy penalty. 

Steve Webb: We estimate that the removal of the spare room subsidy will save around £500 million per year in housing benefit expenditure.

Estimates of the savings are available in the Impact Assessment.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf