Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review the spare room subsidy policy to ensure that people who are unable to work as a result of illness are not obliged to pay that charge.

The ‘Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy’ policy has helped to encourage mobility within the social rented sector, strengthen work-incentives and make better use of available social housing.

There are no plans to amend the policy which already allows for the provision of an additional bedroom for disabled people and carers, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel, and people who have suffered a recent bereavement. Additionally, those in receipt of pension age housing benefit are exempt.

If a claimants ability to mitigate any shortfall between their housing support and rent has changed, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP’s) are available. DHPs can be paid to those in receipt of Housing Benefit or support with housing costs in Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their rental housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided over £1 billion in DHP funding.