Under-occupancy Penalty

Bob Blackman Excerpts
Thursday 28th January 2016

(8 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Justin Tomlinson Portrait Justin Tomlinson
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I thank the hon. Gentleman. I have a huge amount of respect for his knowledge of local authorities. Like him, I have served on a local authority and I trust their ability to work with other agencies, which I have already mentioned. Hon. Members should remember that this is underwritten by the public sector equality duty, which ensures that all issues are considered.

Bob Blackman Portrait Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
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Can my hon. Friend set out the exceptions to the spare room subsidy and the help that is available to people?

Justin Tomlinson Portrait Justin Tomlinson
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Well, we have pensioners, those with disabled children who cannot share a room, foster carers, and those serving in the armed forces who are currently on deployment. Discretionary housing payments allow flexibility to take into account individual circumstances and adopt a co-ordinated approach. If we tried to come up with an exhaustive list, there would always be people who fell just below the line, and they would miss out on any support. That is unacceptable.