Welfare Reform Bill

Debate between Claire Perry and Anne McGuire

Wednesday 1st February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mrs McGuire]

I want to make a little progress, and I also intend to leave some time for other Members to contribute.

I shall give the House an illustration of what I have said, for which I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Blyth Valley (Mr Campbell). Northumberland county council, which has a mixture of housing in various types of locality, has estimated that it will take eight long years before it can put in place the Government’s proposals. During that time, people on the housing list will not be able to get into housing that is suitable for them.

[Claire Perry]

Will the right hon. Lady give way?

[Mrs McGuire]

No, I am not going to take an intervention from the hon. Lady just now.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mrs McGuire]

Exactly.

[Claire Perry]

rose—

[Mrs McGuire]

Oh, to put the hon. Lady out of her misery, I give way.

[Claire Perry]

I am most grateful. On a point of clarification, I thought I heard the right hon. Lady say that Members of this House continued to occupy social housing. Does she think it is appropriate for MPs earning £64,000 a year to occupy social housing and, presumably, have lifetime tenancy over it?

[Mrs McGuire]

The hon. Lady has a philosophical misunderstanding about people’s homes and houses. My mother lived in a local authority house all her life. She never thought it was anything other than her home. She did not see it as second class or inferior. She lived in it and it was right for her.