Student Housing Allowances

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Social Security – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 24 May 1999.

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Photo of Angela Eagle Angela Eagle Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Social Security) 12:00, 24 May 1999

I am aware of the constituent's case to which my hon. Friend refers. He wished to take a full-time course, but had he taken a part-time course, he would still have had access to his housing benefit. He had been unemployed for three months which rendered him ineligible for new deal, which might have given him the opportunity to do a full-time course and still have access to benefit or to undertake training for work, for which an individual must be unemployed for six months. The training opportunities are focused on periods of unemployment of six months or two years to give assistance to those who have fallen out of the labour market to try to make them more employable. However, I hear what my hon. Friend says and we will bear it in mind during our review of housing benefit.