division_name: Opposition Day &#8212; [18th Allotted Day] &#8212; Housing Benefit (Under-occupancy Penalty)
motion: <p class="" pid="b.319.1/1" pwmotiontext="yes">I beg to move,</p>
  
  <p class="" pid="b.319.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That this House deplores and opposes the Government&#8217;s introduction of the housing benefit under-occupancy penalty; believes it to be unjust and unworkable; notes growing public anger at its introduction; believes that the Government is showing a reckless lack of care and attention to the consequences of its introduction for low-income households affected by disability; further believes that it will adversely affect, amongst others, families of service personnel, foster families and those struggling with the effects of family breakdown; notes that some parts of the UK will be disproportionately hit because of the mismatch between the available social housing stock and the needs of tenants; further notes that according to the Department for Work and Pensions&#8217; Equality Impact Assessment, 63 per cent of the 660,000 claimants affected by the under-occupancy penalty or their partners are disabled; believes that the measure unfairly penalises tenants in rural and inner-city areas; further believes the under-occupancy penalty will fail to meet its stated objectives; and calls on the Government to abandon this policy immediately.</p>
  
  <p pid="b.425.2/1" pwmotiontext="yes">Ayes 224, Noes 265.</p>