Chris Bryant MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform, has written to the Employment Minster to seek clarification on whether the Government believes three-bedroom properties should be converted into two-bedrooms to avoid paying the bedroom tax.

In reply to a question from Labour MP Huw Irranca-Davies earlier today, Employment Minister Esther McVey said:

“The hon. Gentleman is quite right—we have to get the stock right: the fact that there are three-bedroom houses and why in the last three years they have not been modified into one and two-bedroom houses. Those questions have to be asked.”

Chris Bryant MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform, said:

“David Cameron’s own Ministers are increasingly revealing that the Bedroom Tax is unworkable. Last week Lord Freud admitted that there weren’t enough smaller properties for people hit by the unfair tax to move to. Today the new Employment Minister suggested that the thousands of disabled people hit by the tax should convert their house into a smaller property. It’s clear that Ministers know that this policy is not only cruel but unworkable and there is now a real risk that it will cost more money than it saves.

“It’s time for Ministers to repeal this cruel and unfair policy. If they don’t, Labour will, using money from closing tax loop holes.“

In his letter, Mr Bryant has asked for clarification on the Government’s position and to seek information on what guidance local authorities and housing associations have received.

The full text of the letter is below:

Esther McVey MP
Minister for Employment
Department for Work & Pensions
Caxton House, Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA

14th October 2013

Dear Minister,

RE: Your reply on the Bedroom Tax

Firstly, may I welcome you to your new position as Minister of State for Employment.

In your reply to the member for Ogmore, Huw Irranca-Davies MP today during departmental questions you suggested that the way people should deal with the lack of 2-bedroom properties would be to ‘modify’ 3-bedroom properties.

Your reply to his question was as follows:

“The hon. Gentleman is quite right—we have to get the stock right: the fact that there are three-bedroom houses and why in the last three years they have not been modified into one and two-bedroom houses. Those questions have to be asked.”

I am writing to you to seek clarification on this. Are you suggesting that the thousands of people affected by your bedroom tax who are living in 3-bedroom properties should be getting out their sledgehammers and knocking down walls in order to avoid paying? Or that housing associations/local authorities, who are already insisting that there is a housing crisis, convert their 3-bedroom stock into two?

As such, I would be grateful if you could answer the following:

-By implication, would you suggest that local authorities/housing associations convert properties from 2-bedroom to 1, so that individuals would no longer be affected by the bedroom tax?

-What advice has been issued to local authorities/housing associations to help them achieve this?

-How does this square with existing policy announced by the Department for Work & Pensions?

-How many properties does the Government expect to be converted from [a] 3 bedrooms to 2, [b] 2 bedrooms to 1 by the next general election?

-What would be the impact of such conversions on the costing and putative savings that the Government has claimed for this policy?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Bryant MP

Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform

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