Housing and Planning Bill (Twelfth sitting)

Andrew Griffiths Excerpts

Thursday 3rd December 2015 Public Bill Committees

[Dr Blackman-Woods]

Indeed. That is a succinct critique of the whole scheme in one sentence.

[Andrew Griffiths (Burton) (Con)]

Can I give the hon. Lady another succinct example? I draw her attention to a report in the Evening Standard from April 2012 about the fact that former Labour Cabinet member Frank Dobson was paying £160 a week to live in a £1 million housing association property. Is he the kind of person the Labour party wants to support these days?

[Dr Blackman-Woods]

I thought we were seriously scrutinising a piece of legislation. We are looking at the impact of this part of the Bill. We know that the £30,000 threshold that the Government want to introduce is barely more than their new national minimum wage. That is extraordinary.

[Andrew Griffiths]

Will the hon. Lady give way?

[Dr Blackman-Woods]

If the hon. Gentleman is just going to reiterate his previous intervention, I am telling him what I think of it.

[Andrew Griffiths]

I assure the hon. Lady that I am not. I am interested to hear the Labour party’s position on this matter. If she thinks that £30,000 is too little, can she tell us what is the correct amount at which people should begin to pay a fair rent?

[Dr Blackman-Woods]

For about the fifth time this morning, there is a discretionary scheme in operation.