§ 19. Mr. StunellTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his plans to reform the housing benefit system. [45030]
§ Malcolm WicksWe have a comprehensive long-term strategy for reforming housing benefit and dealing with the legacy of neglect we have inherited.
Work is already well under way to radically improve HB administration and bear down on fraud. Many of the key measures set out in our response to consultation on the Housing Green Paper have already been implemented. For example, we have launched comprehensive new performance standards, reformed the extended payments scheme to provide better work incentives, reformed the single room rent, and are making housing benefit easier to administer.
694WThese form a firm foundation on which we can build more fundamental reform in the longer term.