§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the combined effect on rent levels of the assured tenancy proposals in the Scottish housing White Paper and the changes in housing benefit proposed from April.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonUnder assured tenancies, rents for most new private lettings will be freely negotiated between landlord and tenant, and will thus usually be at market levels. Housing benefit will continue to be available, but one of the objectives of the revised housing benefit scheme is to strengthen the provisions that ensure that benefit is not used to finance rents that are set at unreasonable levels.