HC Deb 13 June 2000 vol 351 c601W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 June 2000,Official Report, column 101W, regarding single room rent, if he will make available the methodology used in calculating the cost of abolishing the single room rent restrictions. [125898]

Angela Eagle

The methodology used to estimate the cost of abolishing the single room rent is based on a number of data sources, for example, rent officer statistics, departmental forecast of the Housing Benefit caseload and administrative data following the introduction of the single room rent restriction. These data sources have been used to, for example, estimate the proportion of cases restricted by the single room rent and the shortfall in the amount of rent used to assess Housing Benefit.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 June 2000,Official Report, column 101W, regarding single room rent, if he will publish the full range of the estimate of the cost of abolishing the single room rent restrictions, including the lowest point of the range. [125887]

Angela Eagle

The range is between £10 million and £160 million but these figures are heavily dependent on how single young people, landlords and the rental market would react to the abolition of the single room rent.