Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are subject to the under-occupancy penalty in each constituency; what the average weekly reduction in income is for those households; and in how many of those households there is a claimant or partner who (a) receives (i) disability living allowance, (ii) personal independence payment and (iii) employment and support allowance and (b) has children.

Figures on Housing Benefit spare room subsidy deductions in Great Britain are publically available through the DWP Stat-Xplore website. Both volumes and average deductions by parliamentary constituency are available, including broken down by whether or not the household has children. Stat-Xplore website:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml

Guidance for users is available at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

However, breakdowns by whether or not the claimant or partner also receives any of the specified disability benefits are not publicly available and so have been provided in the table attached.

The Government has provided easements to allow an additional bedroom for couples and children who are unable to share a bedroom due to their disability or medical condition and are in receipt of a relevant qualifying benefit, or where a non-resident overnight carer (or group of carers) is required for an adult, child or non-dependant adult on a regular basis.