This is the full response to my request for an internal review of an earlier FOI on this topic.
Department for Work and Pensions
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk
Paul Lewis paul@paullewis.co.uk
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Your Reference: IR202
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Date:
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Dear Mr Lewis
“I am making a formal FOI request for any documents
which cast light on the origin of the phrase ‘Spare Room Subsidy’ and ‘Removal
of’ or ‘Ending’
the Spare Room Subsidy. It is now used
by the DWP as the name for the policy of reducing housing benefit in public
sector rented accommodation where there are more bedrooms than the regulations
prescribe. The regulations came into force on 1 April 2013 .”
You replied
“The first public use of the term
“removal of the spare room subsidy” was made by the Minister of State for
Pensions during an opposition day debate on the
27 February 2013
about “Housing Benefit (under occupation penalty)”.
That statement is not true. The first
public use of the phrase I enquired about which I have traced was ten days
earlier than that and was by fellow Cabinet Minister Grant Shapps on BBC Radio 4 World At One on 17 February
2013 when he said
He also used the phrase on his twitter
account before going on air that day.
So your first answer was not a correct
response to my question and I am asking for an internal review of it.
I am also asking for an internal review
of your statement
“There are no details before this
statement which use the wording ‘removal of the spare room subsidy’”
I originally asked if there were any
documents which use that phrase or anything similar before 27 February 2013 . Given that the
Minister used it on that day and that his colleague used it ten days earlier I
want you to check if there is no document using it on 27 February or earlier.”
Thank
you for your request for an internal review of the response provided for FOI
485.
You asked
whether there were any documents which use the phrase “removal of the spare
room subsidy or other similar phrases before 27.2.2013.
The
earliest public use of the phrase “removal of the spare room subsidy” in
official Departmental publications issued
to local authorities can be found in A11/2013 dated 28.3.13.
There
are no references to this phrase prior to this date in electronic or word
documents.
Housing
Benefit or Subsidy Circulars issued prior to A11.2013 used the phrase “social
sector size criteria” or “size criteria” which mirrors what is specified in the
relevant legislation dealing with the introduction of the policy. .
The secondary
legislation which introduced this policy is S.I.2012/3040.
Housing
Benefit Amendment Regulations 2012.
Additional
links relating to the statutory legislation are contained in the annex.
Other
phrases had been adopted previously. These include “under occupation penalty” as well as social
sector size criteria.;.
Regarding
your query about the first public use of the term “removal of the spare room
subsidy”.
The
first use of the term “removal of the spare room subsidy” by a Minister of the
Department for Work and Pensions, namely the Minister of State for Pensions was during an opposition day debate on
the 27 February 2013 about “Housing
Benefit (under occupation penalty)”.
A link
to the relevant Hansard section is enclosed below for reference.
[27 February 2013 , Official
Record, Column 334 ]
This
term was later formally adopted as the name for the policy within Departmental
publications after this public statement in Parliament by a Minister of the
Department.
The
Department would not be aware that the term was used by the Right Hon Member of
Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield in his political capacity as [Conservative Party
Chairman and Minister without Portfolio ] in a Radio Interview at an earlier
date.
This would
be regarded as a party political issue as debated between the Conservatives and
her Majesty’s official Opposition, which would not be for the Department to
comment on.
Yours sincerely
DWP FOI Central Information Team.
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Your right to
complain under the Freedom of Information Act
If you are not happy with this
response you may request an internal review by e-mailing freedom-of-information-request@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team, Caxton House, Tothill Street, SW1H
9NA
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decision unless you have exhausted our own complaints procedure. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s
Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane
