HOUSING BENEFIT CHANGES

That this House notes with concern the report published by Shelter, Too High a Price, which calculates that the plans for housing benefit detailed in Her Majesty's Government's White Paper, Our Future Homes, will cost the taxpayer up to ú750 million; further notes that this is due to the fact that, although the housing benefit changes could save ú170 million, the resulting poverty and hardship will cost up to ú948 million in increased benefit dependency; and therefore calls upon Her Majesty's Government to abandon planned changes to housing benefit since these would produce increased homelessness, poverty and unemployment.