:00:00. > :00:08.do. I am afraid we must movd on Urgent question. Mr Owen Smhth.
:00:09. > :00:12.Thank you. May I ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he
:00:13. > :00:16.will make a statement on thd Court of Appeal ruling that the bddroom
:00:17. > :00:21.tax has caused discrimination contrary to article 14 of the
:00:22. > :00:27.European Convention on Human Rights? Justin Tomlinson. We know there are
:00:28. > :00:30.people who need extra support. That is why we are providing loc`l
:00:31. > :00:35.authorities with discretion`ry housing payment. Local authorities
:00:36. > :00:39.are best placed to assess pdople's needs in their area and identify
:00:40. > :00:41.where extra support is needdd. We have increased the amount of
:00:42. > :00:47.discretionary housing support available and on top of the ?56
:00:48. > :00:55.million, we are providing an extra ?870 million over the next 75 years.
:00:56. > :00:59.People involved are receiving discretionary payments. That is
:01:00. > :01:02.precisely why we have these and shows they are working. We welcome
:01:03. > :01:09.the fact the High Court and Court of Appeal both ruled that the public
:01:10. > :01:20.sector equality measure had been met, with respect to women. In that
:01:21. > :01:24.judgment, the court found that discretionary payments were
:01:25. > :01:28.appropriate for vulnerable people. It is a complex affair and hn terms
:01:29. > :01:32.of these two latest cases, ` very narrow ruling. In these casds, the
:01:33. > :01:35.High Court found in our favour and we fundamentally disagree whth
:01:36. > :01:41.yesterday's Court of Appeal ruling on the ECA chart. This is not a case
:01:42. > :01:44.of people losing money. Thex are in receipt of discretionary hotsing
:01:45. > :01:47.payments. It is about whethdr it is possible to define such exelptions
:01:48. > :01:52.or whether direct housing p`yments through local authorities ghve the
:01:53. > :01:55.right flexibility to help a wide range of those in need. The Court of
:01:56. > :02:02.Appeal has already granted permission to appeal and we will be
:02:03. > :02:09.appealing to the set green court -- Supreme Court. I am flabbergasted by
:02:10. > :02:13.this response and flabbergasted that the Secretary of State is once more
:02:14. > :02:17.ducking responsibilities. Wd knew the bedroom tax was cruel btt we now
:02:18. > :02:20.know that it is illegal. Thhs decisive ruling from the Cotrt of
:02:21. > :02:27.Appeal should mark the end to this pernicious policy. It could not have
:02:28. > :02:29.been more clear. The bedrool tax is unlawful and discriminatory. The
:02:30. > :02:34.Court of Appeal has considered to cases against the Secretary of
:02:35. > :02:39.State, who once again, is not prepared to defend his policy. One
:02:40. > :02:43.from a victim of rape, but hn a panic room installed by polhce and
:02:44. > :02:48.one from a family who I know personally, to whom I pay tribute
:02:49. > :02:52.for the care they provide to their disabled grandson and the bravery
:02:53. > :02:57.they have shown in taking on the Secretary of State. In both cases,
:02:58. > :03:03.it was ruled that the bedroom tax calls discrimination. They `dmitted
:03:04. > :03:07.discrimination had not been justified by the Secretary of State.
:03:08. > :03:11.The question to the Minister in place of the Secretary of State is,
:03:12. > :03:15.what does this really mean for the 450,000 families currently `ffected
:03:16. > :03:18.by the bedroom tax? If the Government is appealing to the
:03:19. > :03:23.Supreme Court, as extraordinarily it seems they are, can the minhsters
:03:24. > :03:27.tell us what specific grounds it is appealing? Crucially, as a latter of
:03:28. > :03:31.urgency, will the Government immediately exempt the two groups
:03:32. > :03:39.that have been found to havd been discriminated against from the
:03:40. > :03:41.bedroom tax? Victims of domdstic and is and the families of severely
:03:42. > :03:52.disabled children. Can the Linister confirm that those who have had
:03:53. > :03:59.panic rooms installed and exempting those people would cost the
:04:00. > :04:03.Government a mere ?200,000? By comparison, can he tell us home in
:04:04. > :04:07.the hundreds of thousands of pounds he has spent already on leg`l fees,
:04:08. > :04:12.defending this vile policy? And how much more he is prepared to spend?
:04:13. > :04:16.Is it a blank cheque to defdnd this to the end? Can the Minister also
:04:17. > :04:20.tell us how many families whth severely disabled children `re
:04:21. > :04:25.currently paying the bedrool tax? Can he informed the House what
:04:26. > :04:27.proportion of domestic by the victims and families with dhsabled
:04:28. > :04:35.children are in receipt of discretionary housing payments? This
:04:36. > :04:38.ruling was on specific crimds. Can the Minister confirm that the
:04:39. > :04:43.bedroom tax is failing in every regard? He talks of discrethonary
:04:44. > :04:52.housing payments. His own Government report admitted, 75% of victims do
:04:53. > :04:57.not receive PHP. Three quarters of those hit by the bedroom tax are
:04:58. > :05:03.cutting back on food. Only 4% had been able to move. 80% regularly run
:05:04. > :05:08.out of money. Politics is about choices. The choice which f`ces the
:05:09. > :05:12.Secretary of State today was very clear. He could have come to this
:05:13. > :05:17.House and admitted that this is a rotten policy that is punishing poor
:05:18. > :05:21.people across this country. And he could have scrapped it. Instead he
:05:22. > :05:27.sits on the front bench for going back to Caxton House to consult with
:05:28. > :05:32.his lawyers, in order to defend this policy against victims of domestic
:05:33. > :05:40.violence and parents of dis`bled children. Shameful! Justin
:05:41. > :05:45.Tomlinson. To be clear, this is about whether it is possibld to
:05:46. > :05:51.define such exemptions whether local authorities give the flexibhlity to
:05:52. > :05:57.help a wide range of people in need. We will appeal this to the Supreme
:05:58. > :06:00.Court. If you try to set straight categories, people, especially with
:06:01. > :06:04.unique circumstances and issues could fall just below an artificial
:06:05. > :06:09.line. That means they would miss out. Is it realistic to expdct that
:06:10. > :06:13.here in London we could set such an exhaustive list? Direct housing
:06:14. > :06:18.payments, of which we provide ? 70 million over the next five xears,
:06:19. > :06:23.give flexibility. It allows you to work with the police, social
:06:24. > :06:29.services, medical professionals to give co-ordinated support
:06:30. > :06:34.underwritten by the public sector equality duty. Politicians do face
:06:35. > :06:37.choices. When local housing allowance was introduced under the
:06:38. > :06:41.last Labour Government, there was no additional support provided. They
:06:42. > :06:52.would have faced exactly thd same challenges. I am it fine? Why has
:06:53. > :06:56.that changed much now? Wiki making references to tax. What abott the
:06:57. > :07:02.1.7 million people in the social housing waiting list? The 240,0 0
:07:03. > :07:07.people in overcrowded accomlodation? There is scant regard for them.
:07:08. > :07:12.These are the people we spe`k for. It is right to provide flexhbility
:07:13. > :07:16.and a coordinated approach. This is the right thing to do. Does the
:07:17. > :07:23.Minister agree that this is an issue of fairness? People in overcrowded
:07:24. > :07:33.accommodation and those waiting on social housing lists. We all see
:07:34. > :07:38.through casework, families on the waiting list, 1.7 million pdople
:07:39. > :07:43.across England, 241,000 in overcrowded accommodation, ht is
:07:44. > :07:48.right that we are trying to match the right accommodation to people's
:07:49. > :07:52.individual needs. I cannot believe that we have just heard somdone from
:07:53. > :07:56.the Tory backbenches saying this is about fairness. Because that is
:07:57. > :07:59.exactly what this is about. Is it not a disgrace, when this is the
:08:00. > :08:07.policy the Secretary of State, sitting there whispering into the of
:08:08. > :08:11.his Minister, the decision on the courts follows a series of
:08:12. > :08:16.embarrassing that is for thd Secretary of State. There is also a
:08:17. > :08:22.United Nations investigation into the UK Government welfare policy.
:08:23. > :08:25.The SNP Scottish Government has committed ?90 million to mitigating
:08:26. > :08:31.the effects of the bedroom tax in Scotland. To stop the threat of
:08:32. > :08:35.eviction imposed by this Dickensian Tory policy. We will end thd bedroom
:08:36. > :08:39.tax when we have the powers to do so. The Secretary of State will not
:08:40. > :08:43.heed the warnings of the SNP, when he at least listen to the rtins of
:08:44. > :08:47.some of the highest courts `nd scrap this unfair and discriminatory tax
:08:48. > :08:54.and think again about the pdrsimmons of how those cuts are damaghng vital
:08:55. > :09:00.support? The parliament in London did not stop this. Thank he`vens the
:09:01. > :09:04.court has intervened. It is little wonder the Tories are so unpopular
:09:05. > :09:09.in Scotland. They have returned to being the nastier party thex were
:09:10. > :09:13.under Thatcher. This time under Cameron and Osborne. The honourable
:09:14. > :09:21.gentleman has rather exceeddd his time. This policy is discrilinatory
:09:22. > :09:30.and unlawful. Will he agreed to scrapping this Draconian policy
:09:31. > :09:39.In terms of fairness, we all talk to those families on the housing
:09:40. > :09:44.waiting list. Try explain to them why we shouldn't make more of the
:09:45. > :09:47.accommodation available to them We have already provided greatdr
:09:48. > :09:52.flexibility in Scotland through devolution to do what you whsh to do
:09:53. > :09:57.with discretionary housing payments. Clearly, we shall all wait for the
:09:58. > :10:02.Supreme Court judgment, but there are two points today that mtst be
:10:03. > :10:06.clear. Does the Minister agree with me that the incredible indignation
:10:07. > :10:10.gathered by the Shadow minister is blown apart by the fact that the
:10:11. > :10:14.family in question are in f`ct receiving exactly the same `mount of
:10:15. > :10:18.benefits they were before the introduction of the spare bddroom
:10:19. > :10:24.subsidy, and the opportunisl issued very clearly that it was taken away
:10:25. > :10:30.for the much larger number of people and the private sector? I thank my
:10:31. > :10:34.honourable friend, that is absolutely right. They are hn
:10:35. > :10:37.receipt of payment, which shows discretionary housing payments to
:10:38. > :10:41.work and shows with flexibility you can do a coordinated approach with
:10:42. > :10:46.police, social services, medical professionals and other agencies. Mr
:10:47. > :10:53.Speaker, will the Minister wake up at? The fact of the matter hs that
:10:54. > :10:58.this is even dicta of policx, and it is also a policy that with the
:10:59. > :11:02.selling off of the housing associations, ducks the real
:11:03. > :11:06.question was not holding appropriate housing for people in this country
:11:07. > :11:11.could is a diversion, get on with the real job. That is why otr ?
:11:12. > :11:19.million programme of Doug whether a further 400,000 housing in this
:11:20. > :11:23.Parliament. We will reverse the loss of 400,000 homes under the last
:11:24. > :11:28.Labour Government. Whilst I agree with my honourable friend and I
:11:29. > :11:33.think the question of fairndss is vital. So many in Northumberland
:11:34. > :11:43.really struggled to find a home and I think it is equally -- kex
:11:44. > :11:46.question of equality. I would ask the Minister consider ways to help
:11:47. > :11:51.the local authority to find new systems for matching familids to the
:11:52. > :11:55.right homes? That is why it is so important that we are incre`sing
:11:56. > :11:59.housing building starts. Landlords are already displaying changes to
:12:00. > :12:06.new housing stock in order to match those changes. Has the Government is
:12:07. > :12:10.now effectively abandoned the principle of a benefit systdm which
:12:11. > :12:16.properly assesses people according to needs and circumstances, and then
:12:17. > :12:19.pays them a benefit whatever those circumstances last? Instead, the
:12:20. > :12:24.answer to everything seems to be discretionary housing payments. They
:12:25. > :12:29.are paid on a case-by-case basis. 75% of people on bedroom tax do not
:12:30. > :12:33.get them. And the time limited as well. Does he recognise the enormous
:12:34. > :12:38.uncertainty this creates and a hardship for people in very real
:12:39. > :12:42.housing need? I have a huge amount of respect for his knowledgd of
:12:43. > :12:47.local authorities, but like him I have served on one and trust their
:12:48. > :12:51.ability to work with other `gencies. Remember, this is underwritten by
:12:52. > :12:56.the public sector of qualitx duty, which make sure all this usd are
:12:57. > :13:07.considered. Could my honour`ble friend set out the exceptions there
:13:08. > :13:12.are to the spare room subsidy. We have pensioners, those with disabled
:13:13. > :13:18.children who cannot share a room and foster carers, and those who have
:13:19. > :13:23.got... Those serving in the Armed Forces who are currently deployed.
:13:24. > :13:27.The discretionary payments `llows for that flexibility to look at
:13:28. > :13:31.individual circumstances with a coordinated approach. If we tried to
:13:32. > :13:35.come up with an exhaustive list they would be double who wotld fall
:13:36. > :13:40.below that line and miss out on any support. That is unacceptable.
:13:41. > :13:49.Unpaid family carers, they `re not included in that list. Why should
:13:50. > :13:53.people like carers live in fear of losing their homes, and adapted
:13:54. > :14:00.bungalow in this case? 60,000 carers hit by the bedroom tax. It has
:14:01. > :14:04.always been a logical... Can he not see that what he should do now,
:14:05. > :14:08.what's the Secretary of State should do is to abandon the policy and
:14:09. > :14:14.recognise that carers should not be hit with this? We in this House
:14:15. > :14:17.recognise the valuable role carers play in society. Discretion`ry
:14:18. > :14:23.housing payments is an opportunity to provide that. When this was
:14:24. > :14:26.introduced in the private sdctor, why was there no arguments to say
:14:27. > :14:33.there should be exemptions for carers in the private sector? One
:14:34. > :14:36.will then, one rule now. With the Minister agree that to have a list
:14:37. > :14:40.of strict criteria would undermine the whole point of having a
:14:41. > :14:44.discretionary housing payment system? Would he also agree that it
:14:45. > :14:48.is interesting to see false anger from the party that introduced this
:14:49. > :14:54.for tenants on housing benefit in the private sector? I thank my
:14:55. > :14:57.honourable friend for that. It gives discretion and it allows a
:14:58. > :15:02.multi-agency approach to help people on individual needs. People do not
:15:03. > :15:05.need to lay fall into a convenient box in society. You have to have
:15:06. > :15:14.discretion and flexibility to do the right thing. Thank you very much, Mr
:15:15. > :15:17.Speaker. After his embarrassment, will those affected get an `pology
:15:18. > :15:24.on the bedroom tax from the dispatch box? We think this is a good policy,
:15:25. > :15:27.helping the 1.7 million people on the waiting list, finding dhscretion
:15:28. > :15:33.and not creating artificial lines which people can fall beneath. If it
:15:34. > :15:39.were not out of order, would my honourable friend not agree with me
:15:40. > :15:42.that given that the party opposite introduced this very principle for
:15:43. > :15:49.the private sector, their ottrage now is hypocritical? I thank my
:15:50. > :15:55.honourable friend. I hope it isn't out of order, because I fully agree.
:15:56. > :16:00.If it were, I would have ruled thus, and it wasn't, so I did not. We will
:16:01. > :16:04.leave it at that. I am alwaxs grateful to the honourable gentleman
:16:05. > :16:09.for his advice. In this instance, it suffers from the material at an
:16:10. > :16:13.advantage of being wrong. I would just like to ask a simple qtestion
:16:14. > :16:20.asked by Mr Paul Rutherford. Why would the Government spend tax
:16:21. > :16:27.payers' money on an appeal? We make sure those are vulnerable gdt the
:16:28. > :16:30.right support. Mr Speaker, now my honourable friend has reminded the
:16:31. > :16:33.party opposite of what they did in Government, but can he also remind
:16:34. > :16:37.them it is not a tax when you treat people equally? I thank my
:16:38. > :16:49.honourable friend repeating that point so eloquently. My council has
:16:50. > :16:53.added money above the arbitrary and tokenistic housing payments. Will
:16:54. > :16:59.the Government increased discretionary payments under the
:17:00. > :17:01.Supreme Court ruling? We have committed ?870 million over this
:17:02. > :17:06.Parliament. It is a considerable amount of money. At the halfway
:17:07. > :17:10.point of the year, most loc`l authorities have not even spend 50%.
:17:11. > :17:18.I hope they will continue to look at ways to support vulnerable people.
:17:19. > :17:23.Is there more the Government can do to encourage and enable councils to
:17:24. > :17:28.make discretionary awards? To provide certainty that they can
:17:29. > :17:32.afford rent? That is an important point to make. We are looking to do
:17:33. > :17:39.that, to encourage greater common sense to be applied. Mr Spe`ker the
:17:40. > :17:44.financial conduct for it me this week that 40% of adults in ly
:17:45. > :17:49.constituency are suffering severe debt problems. That is becatse we
:17:50. > :17:54.have over 3000 families suffering the bedroom tax, which is the
:17:55. > :17:59.highest in the land. It is ` debt bondage going on here. Will the
:18:00. > :18:01.Minister come to my constittency, at my request, and meet people
:18:02. > :18:05.suffering the bedroom tax, `nd particularly women in my safe spot
:18:06. > :18:11.the scheme, who suffered dolestic violence and are now being punished
:18:12. > :18:20.by this ruling that the Govdrnment are coming out with? I am a
:18:21. > :18:23.constituency MP as well as ` minister. We have trebled the
:18:24. > :18:27.funding to support victims of domestic abuse to ?40 million a
:18:28. > :18:41.year. Every year is housing have fallen for the last years as well.
:18:42. > :18:47.-- arrears have fallen. Does my honourable friend agree that no
:18:48. > :18:57.change should be considered until the Supreme Court has made ` final
:18:58. > :19:02.ruling? That is absolutely the case. In Northern Ireland, 66% of housing
:19:03. > :19:09.tenants and 62% of all existing housing benefit recipients, under
:19:10. > :19:14.the fresh start agreement, dxcepted just last year, it has been agreed
:19:15. > :19:17.that money is to offset that will come out of the Northern Irdland
:19:18. > :19:20.block grant. Has the Ministdr had any discussions with the other
:19:21. > :19:26.devolved administrations to enable them legally to make further
:19:27. > :19:33.decisions? I have not, but H will look at that. As the Ministdr has
:19:34. > :19:37.said on several occasions, hn both these cases, the appellants were
:19:38. > :19:40.actually in receipt of discretionary payments. Does he therefore agree
:19:41. > :19:46.with me that this demonstrates the fund is working and helping those
:19:47. > :19:52.most in need? This is exactly why we are getting the money to thd people
:19:53. > :19:58.who need it, and rightly so. Given that one of the main drivers of this
:19:59. > :20:01.policy was to force people to find alternative accommodation, but the
:20:02. > :20:05.majority have state puts despite these difficulties, does thhs not
:20:06. > :20:09.sure that not only is this policy inhumane, cruel and is
:20:10. > :20:15.discriminatory, but it is also a failure? I absolutely disagree. 16%
:20:16. > :20:22.had registered to move in Atgust 20 14. Remember those 1.7 millhon
:20:23. > :20:24.people, 241,000 people in overcrowded accommodation. They need
:20:25. > :20:32.the same chance that those people had. It is the right thing to do.
:20:33. > :20:35.Some of my most moving meethngs with constituents have been with those
:20:36. > :20:39.who are in unique circumstances and who need help very gratefully. Does
:20:40. > :20:42.the Minister agree that it hs precisely because there is
:20:43. > :20:46.discretion in the system th`t the Government is able to help those in
:20:47. > :20:52.need? I thank my honourable friend for that. It is just one ex`mple we
:20:53. > :20:56.have of supporting people. There is a 79% increase in the disabhlity
:20:57. > :20:59.facilities Grant for next ydar, which will significantly increase
:21:00. > :21:08.the 40,000 properties per ydar we are helping adapt. Thank yot, Mr
:21:09. > :21:12.Speaker. The bedroom tax is the most unpopular tax since another Tory
:21:13. > :21:20.invention, the Tory tax. Thd poll tax. Given this recent judglent
:21:21. > :21:23.surely this is an opportunity for the Government to review its
:21:24. > :21:27.position? Why will the Government not to take that opportunitx and
:21:28. > :21:31.scrap this tax once and for? I will gently remind the honourabld member
:21:32. > :21:36.that this is not a tax and hf it was so desperately unpopular, why are we
:21:37. > :21:41.in Government? Thank you, Mr Speaker. On the issue of fahrness,
:21:42. > :21:45.I'm sure we will think it is fair they have subsidised social housing
:21:46. > :21:50.so that people pay about 30$ of rent in some cases. They do not think it
:21:51. > :21:54.is fair they subsidise their 2% of market rent, people having spare
:21:55. > :21:57.rooms we do not use or need. If I suspect the Minister is unable to
:21:58. > :22:01.come to the dispatch box and give a definitive list of the cases where a
:22:02. > :22:04.spare room is needed, surelx that shows our discretionary system is
:22:05. > :22:10.the best one and one we must continue with? That is exactly the
:22:11. > :22:12.point. It seems the opposithon wants to create this artificial btyer
:22:13. > :22:19.which will see some people who will miss out, who should be getting
:22:20. > :22:22.support and that is not accdptable. Extraordinary cynicism by the
:22:23. > :22:27.Minister to talk about houshng waiting lists when the Government is
:22:28. > :22:32.forcing the subsidising of housing associations. How can he explain
:22:33. > :22:35.that only 5% of people who have been affected by the bedroom tax have
:22:36. > :22:41.been able to move? More than ten times that number have been unable
:22:42. > :22:45.to. To object to allowing pdople to have the opportunity to buy their
:22:46. > :22:48.own home, we're not all frol gifted backgrounds and people should have
:22:49. > :22:53.an opportunity to do that. That will raise funds for new housing in turn.
:22:54. > :22:58.The amount we spend on houshng benefit scored by 15% in thd last
:22:59. > :23:03.years of the Labour Governmdnt. We now spend more on housing bdnefits
:23:04. > :23:06.than we spend on secondary education, 50% of the Ministry
:23:07. > :23:10.defence budget, and yet, thdre is a chronic 's shortage of soci`l
:23:11. > :23:16.housing. With the Minister `gree with me that there is no -- that no
:23:17. > :23:23.reasonable, confident governorate would be trying to find solttions
:23:24. > :23:27.for these problems? The mondy spent was ?24.4 billion. We will know
:23:28. > :23:30.spends ?26 billion per year. The opposition are according to scrap
:23:31. > :23:39.the spare a subsidy policy `nd that would be an extra ?2.5 billhon in
:23:40. > :23:42.the ever-growing black hole. 71 500 people would be affected for the
:23:43. > :23:47.bedroom tax if it was not the actions of SNP mitigating that. This
:23:48. > :23:51.UK Government policy is verx clearly discriminatory and has eight
:23:52. > :23:57.devastating impact on vulnerable people in society. We have seen an
:23:58. > :24:00.astonishing tax deal with Google, hailed by the Chancellor. Is it not
:24:01. > :24:09.time this Government stopped prioritising sweetheart tax deals?
:24:10. > :24:12.Well, no, because I wonder how the SNP will actually explain to those
:24:13. > :24:19.people on the waiting list why effort are not being made to create
:24:20. > :24:25.more appropriate housing? Whth my honourable friend confirm to me that
:24:26. > :24:34.before this reform, 820,000 spare rooms were paid for by the taxpayer.
:24:35. > :24:39.Not only wasting taxpayers' money, but also going over their hdads
:24:40. > :24:41.Absolutely. That was no help at all to those families in overcrowded
:24:42. > :24:50.accommodation. This is complex but will thd
:24:51. > :24:54.Minister accept that this is about straightforward suffering? People
:24:55. > :24:59.already struggling with hardship who have literally nowhere else to go?
:25:00. > :25:07.Not at all. These people have been given the money that shows
:25:08. > :25:12.discretionary housing payment works. When the party opposite introduced
:25:13. > :25:14.the spare room subsidy for the private sector, there was no
:25:15. > :25:20.discretionary housing payment that went with it. Have we made `n
:25:21. > :25:26.assessment as to whether we can extend it to the spare room subsidy
:25:27. > :25:29.introduced by the party opposite? Why wasn't the case that thdre was
:25:30. > :25:32.no additional support provided to vulnerable people when it w`s
:25:33. > :25:42.introduced in the private sdctor? That not there. My apologies. I have
:25:43. > :25:46.lost my voice. The honourable gentleman has lost his voicd. I am
:25:47. > :25:53.saddened by that. We owe hil a degree of quietude so we might
:25:54. > :25:57.detect what he has two safe. On a point of fact, will the Minhster and
:25:58. > :26:03.his officials, by the end of today, be able to supply me and other Welsh
:26:04. > :26:09.MPs with a list of how many people who are households where thdre are
:26:10. > :26:13.victims of domestic by or dhsabled children, and on the point of common
:26:14. > :26:19.decency, if he and his ministers are not able to issue an apologx today,
:26:20. > :26:24.if this decision is upheld, with even apologise? I am not sure we can
:26:25. > :26:28.get in all that information by the end of the day. We will get through
:26:29. > :26:34.as much of that as has been requested. Irrespective of the fact
:26:35. > :26:39.that the Minister ignores the court ruling, why is housing benefit
:26:40. > :26:47.estimated to go above 25 billion next year? We are not ignorhng the
:26:48. > :26:51.ruling. We are appealing it. We feel discretionary housing payment is the
:26:52. > :26:57.correct way. Reform takes thme to come in. ?24.4 billion in housing
:26:58. > :26:59.benefit, had we not rotten reforms which the party opposite has
:27:00. > :27:07.opposed, it would be ?26 billion this year. Given yesterday's
:27:08. > :27:14.landmark ruling, given the report from the UN on housing which said
:27:15. > :27:17.the bedroom tax damaged livds of citizens and given the fact that
:27:18. > :27:24.there is scarce housing with that particular need, could the Linister
:27:25. > :27:35.indicate today in a compasshonate way that the Government will abandon
:27:36. > :27:42.this bedroom tax? No. When the Government consulted on the bedroom
:27:43. > :27:45.tax, how many disability organisations warned the Department
:27:46. > :27:51.of the discriminatory naturd of this measure? I was there advice ignored
:27:52. > :27:55.at such substantial cost to the taxpayer? There was full and wide
:27:56. > :28:05.consultation in the developlent of this policy. The SNP is building
:28:06. > :28:11.record numbers of council housing in Scotland. The new right to buy was
:28:12. > :28:17.introduced in 2013. There h`s been 30,000 sales of houses in England
:28:18. > :28:20.and Wales and less than 3000 new starts. You cannot they say that
:28:21. > :28:27.your housing bill will solvd this problem. The High Court rulhng says
:28:28. > :28:31.that because BHP cannot be guaranteed, it is disgrace three. We
:28:32. > :28:36.are against the bedroom tax altogether. Is it not time the
:28:37. > :28:43.Government things again? Yot must think again. I have met famhlies on
:28:44. > :28:50.the waiting lists wanting to see properties become available. In
:28:51. > :28:55.Fareham, we have over 1000 people on housing waiting lists. Incltding
:28:56. > :29:00.young families with children. With the Minister please provide a
:29:01. > :29:06.breakdown per constituency, of how many people are on housing waiting
:29:07. > :29:13.lists, so we can better unddrstand the extent of this problem? I cannot
:29:14. > :29:18.provide the breakdown instantly for every constituency but we are making
:29:19. > :29:22.efforts. The ?20 billion worth of measures to increase housing supply
:29:23. > :29:24.will help people get out of overcrowded properties and off
:29:25. > :29:36.waiting lists into appropri`te accommodation. How much mondy so far
:29:37. > :29:41.has been wasted on defending this cruel policy, in terms of ldgal
:29:42. > :29:47.fees? It is not cruel to provide support to the most vulnerable in
:29:48. > :29:50.society. And it is also sensible, 82 and a half billion pound extra cost,
:29:51. > :29:56.if the party opposite was to this policy. Will the Minister agree that
:29:57. > :30:00.not only is discretionary housing payment the right way to address the
:30:01. > :30:04.issue but the fact that somd local authorities are not spending their
:30:05. > :30:12.full allocation is evidence that the Government is fully resourcdd in
:30:13. > :30:15.this matter? Thank you. Not only is the ?870 million proving to be the
:30:16. > :30:20.right amount of money for local authorities but awareness is
:30:21. > :30:23.increasing. It is simply astonishing that the Government is still not
:30:24. > :30:28.listening and facing up to the reality of flaws in this policy In
:30:29. > :30:36.the same way that they blocked the Private Members' Bill in thd name of
:30:37. > :30:41.the former MP for St Ives. Can they not just of that bill and m`ke the
:30:42. > :30:45.changes are clearly need to be made to this policy? We're deterlined to
:30:46. > :30:52.protect those most vulnerable in society. We're getting fundhng to
:30:53. > :30:58.where it needs to be and we are entitled to do that. We havd had
:30:59. > :31:04.half an hour of nonanswers from this Minister when actually, we wanted
:31:05. > :31:08.his boss, the Secretary of State to come to this dispatch box to defend
:31:09. > :31:15.this disgusting and permisshons policy. Will he now answer the
:31:16. > :31:19.question set out by my honotrable friend, the member for Hull North,
:31:20. > :31:26.how much is this Government wasting of public money to defend the
:31:27. > :31:29.indefensible? That level of anger matched some of the families I met
:31:30. > :31:44.waiting on the waiting list that you wish to turn a blind eye to. Order!
:31:45. > :31:46.Hilary Benn. Thank you. Will the Secretary of State make a statement
:31:47. > :31:51.on arms sales to Saudi Arabha in light of the report of potential
:31:52. > :32:01.breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen? @s the
:32:02. > :32:08.Prime Minister said yesterd`y, the Government takes its arms exports
:32:09. > :32:09.responsibilities seriously `nd operates one of the most