Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Frank Field:  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2017 to Question 60098, what progress has been made on amending the regulations governing the under-occupancy penalty.

Caroline Nokes: The regulations in relation to two Supreme Court judgments concerning the removal of the spare room subsidy were laid on 2 March 2017 and will come into force on 1 April 2017. From this date an additional bedroom will be allowed, subject to certain criteria, where a disabled child or adult non-dependant requires a non-resident overnight carer (or team of carers); or where a couple one of whom (or both) are disabled and those disabilities prevent them from sharing a bedroom.

Universal Credit – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place a copy of any unpublished impact assessment on the Universal Credit (Housing Costs Element for claimants aged 18 to 21) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 in the Library.

Caroline Nokes: There is no requirement to complete an Impact Assessment in respect of these regulations because they have no direct impact on business, charities or voluntary organisations.An Equality Impact Assessment was completed to enable me to ensure compliance with my Public Sector Equality Duty. There is no requirement for this assessment to be published and I have no plans to do so.

Housing Benefit: Pensioners – Parliamentary Written Answer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the local housing allowance from pensioners in the private rented sector to those in the social rented sector.

Caroline Nokes: Local housing allowance rates will not be introduced in the social rented sector for general needs housing until April 2019, and only then where tenancies have been taken out or renewed on or after 1 April 2016; and the tenant’s rent is higher than the Local Housing Allowance rates set for private sector tenants. Pensioners in the private rented sector have been subject to Local Housing Allowance rates since 2008. It is therefore only right that we bring about parity of treatment across both sectors, but pensioners in the social rented sector are unlikely to be affected unless they are substantially under-occupying their properties or they have high service charges. Discretionary Housing Payments remain available for those who need help transitioning to the change.