Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and
Pensions pursuant to the contribution of 5 September 2014 by the Minister of
State for Disabled People, of 5 September 2014, Official Report, columns
554-64, if he will publish the evidential basis for the statement that
implementation of the Affordable Homes Bill would cost £1 billion; when those
calculations were made; and by whom they were calculated.
Mr Harper: The calculation of the cost of about £1
billion for the Affordable Homes Bill was made on Thursday 4th September by
Departmental Officials following an assessment of the potential effects of the
provisions set out in the draft Bill at Second Reading. The potential cost was
estimated using administrative data (Single Housing Benefit Extract) and the
department’s policy simulation model. The following assumptions were made:
The bill in effect nullifies the removal of the spare
room subsidy policy, which would negate the projected savings from being
realised;
That Clause 2 as currently drafted would result in
non-dependent deductions falling out of the calculation of Housing Benefit but
would bring in ineligible service charges for all claimants who are social
sector tenants (including pensioners) who meet the conditions described at
Clause 2 (1) (a), (b) and (c) regardless of whether or not they are affected by
the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy.
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