Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse has been of Government legal action in respect of the case brought by the Rutherford family on the spare room subsidy.

The case brought by the Rutherford family was heard with six other cases, therefore separate figures for individual cases are not available. The legal costs (to 9 November 2016) of the Supreme Court proceedings for Rutherford and the other joined cases are £206,841.65.

The total legal costs of the High Court proceedings for Rutherford and the Court of Appeal proceedings for “A” and Rutherford are £91,772.28.

These figures include VAT where payable (for example on Counsel’s fees) and disbursements but does not include costs attributable to time spent by Government advisory lawyers, as time spent by such advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributable to individual cases.