Housing: Underoccupancy Charge Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Department for Work and Pensions
Wednesday 2nd March 2016

(8 years, 8 months ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Freud Portrait Lord Freud
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

The noble Baroness has put her finger on a Supreme Court issue, which I will just have to duck today.

Lord Wigley Portrait Lord Wigley (PC)
- Hansard - -

My Lords, if it turns out that the funds available to local authorities, which the Minister mentioned, are in fact inadequate to meet the defined needs of disabled people and others who should come within their orbit, will the Government make more funds available?

Lord Freud Portrait Lord Freud
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

We keep this under review and, as I said, we have increased the amount quite substantially for the next five-year period. Currently, local authorities have been somewhat underspending and we get a small return of the money that they do not spend. The bulk of local authorities, at the halfway point of the current financial year, have been spending under 50% of their allocation.