The Department for Work and Pensions can’t give a straight answer on how many people will be affected by the Bedroom Tax loophole.

At DWP oral questions yesterday Iain Duncan Smith said that the loophole would apply to between 3,000 and 5,000 people. But a response to a written question published today says the number affected is “not available”.

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

“The right hand clearly doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and it gives the impression that the Secretary of State was just picking numbers out of the air in Parliament.

“That’s why we’re calling on Iain Duncan Smith to give us some straight answers. How much is this loophole going to cost? How many have been wrongly charged? How many people does he expect will be asking for a review of their cases?

“There is clearly complete and utter confusion at the heart of David Cameron’s Government and our message to both him and Iain Duncan Smith is simple: instead of papering over the cracks, just ditch the Bedroom Tax. If they don’t then Labour will.”