House of Commons – Nov. 12, 2013 – 126

Question put accordingly (Standing Order No. 31(2)), That the original words stand part of the Question. Amendment: I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “House” to the end of the Question and add: “notes the substantial structural deficit which was inherited from the previous Government and the need to get the nation’s finances back into shape;

further notes the need to bring expenditure on housing benefit under control;

further notes that the proposed reversal of this policy would cost the Exchequer around half a billion pounds a year;

regrets any exaggeration and misrepresentation of the effects of the policy;

recognises the inequality of allowing social tenants to receive benefit for a spare bedroom whilst denying this opportunity to private tenants;

supports the Government’s action to deal with this unfairness whilst protecting vulnerable groups such as pensioners and providing substantial funding through Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities to support other tenants who would otherwise be adversely affected;

further notes the Government’s continuing commitment to monitor the effects of the policy and the use of Discretionary Housing Payments;

and welcomes the potential beneficial impact of this policy on those living in overcrowded accommodation and the 2.1 million families on waiting lists.’” Original words: I beg to move, That this House regrets the pernicious effect on vulnerable and in many cases disabled people of deductions being made from housing benefit paid to working age tenants in the social housing sector deemed to have an excess number of bedrooms in their homes;

calls on the Government to end these deductions with immediate effect;

furthermore calls for any cost of ending them to be covered by reversing tax cuts which will benefit the wealthiest and promote avoidance, and addressing the tax loss from disguised employment in construction;

and further calls on the Government to use the funding set aside for discretionary housing payments to deal with under-occupation by funding local authorities so that they are better able to help people with the cost of moving to suitable accommodation.