Housing Benefit

Part of Opposition Day — [5th Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 4:22 pm on 9 November 2010.

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Photo of Iain Duncan Smith Iain Duncan Smith The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 4:22, 9 November 2010

When the right hon. Gentleman is in a hole he should stop digging. The reality is that he was responsible for one of the lowest levels of building social housing. I do not know whether he is proud of that, but I would not be if I were sitting there with him.

We have to ensure that people who pay their way without recourse to benefits will no longer have to subsidise people who live in properties that the former could not afford. As I said, the maximum rate under the cap will be set at a level that is affordable and which some will consider generous. Based on what people spend on average on housing, the figure will be quite high; about £80,000 a year is what you would have to have.