Affordable Homes Bill

Anne Begg Excerpts

Friday 5th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Sir Tony Baldry]

I will give way in a second.

The current Government have extended the same principle to social housing tenants of paying the benefit on the size and composition of household.

[Dame Anne Begg (Aberdeen South) (Lab)]

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

[Sir Tony Baldry]

I will certainly give way to the Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee.

[Dame Anne Begg]

I assume the right hon. Gentleman wants savings in the housing benefit bill. Rents are much higher in the private rented sector, yet that sector is growing, partly as a result of the bedroom tax. Does he accept that the bedroom tax pushes people who are in cheaper social housing into more expensive private housing, which results in a greater call on the housing benefit bill?

[Sir Tony Baldry]

The hon. Lady is missing the point I seek to make, which is that the Labour Government, whom she supported, introduced almost identical provisions for tenants in the private rented sector, and there seems to be no reason why tenants in the private rented sector should be treated differently from social housing tenants.