§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have received and studied Making a Difference—Housing Benefit for Students, published by the National Housing and Town Planning Council; and whether they will now undertake an urgent review of their existing policy in this area.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Henley)We have received and studied this publication. In general, it is the educational maintenance system which is designed to provide support for students, not the social security system, and we have no plans to change this. Housing Benefit is, however, available to particularly vulnerable students such as lone parents, those who are disabled and those with dependent children. In addition, non-student partners can claim on behalf of the couple if they satisfy the normal qualifying conditions.