DWP spin on benefits cap

Guardian report on their live politics blog about how Shelter has pointed out how the DWP has sanitised it’s impact assessment in relation to the benefit cap to be debated today in the House of Lords.

The new version says:

The cap is likely to affect where different family types will be able to live. It is not possible to quantify these costs because they are based on behavioural changes which are difficult to assess robustly.

And this is what the old version said, in the same space.

The cap is likely to affect where different family types will be able to live. Housing benefit may no longer cover housing costs and some households may go into rent arrears. This will require expense and effort by landlords and the courts to evict and seek to recoup rent arrears. Some households are likely to present as homeless, and may as a result need to move into more expensive temporary accommodation, at a cost to the local authority. It is not possible to quantify these costs because they are based on behavioural changes which are difficult to assess robustly. (my emhpasis)

Scroll down to the 1.47pm entry Politics Live blog: Monday 23 January 2012