Russell floors Minister with housing question

12.00.00am GMT Mon 8th Jan 2007

With less than ten minutes on the clock on the first day back for the House of Commons, Colchester MP Bob Russell made the first Parliamentary direct hit on the Government for 2007 with a question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Rt Hon John Hutton MP.

Following up a general question on steps to reduce child poverty,

Mr Hutton nodded in agreement when Mr Russell asked whether he agreed that "child poverty and poor housing often go together". But the Liberal Democrat MP left the Minister floundering when he followed up with the comment: "Would he agree that had "new" Labour built as many council houses during its first ten years in power as the Conservative Government did in its first ten years, fewer children would now be living in child poverty?"

Mr Hutton said that child poverty had reduced, but he was answering for Work and Pensions and not housing.

Afterwards Mr Russell - who has previously in Commons questions challenged both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on the need to build more council houses - said that there was an obvious link between child poverty and poor housing.

While he was not surprised that Mr Hutton had failed to acknowledge the Labour Government's failure to build sufficient affordable family housing, he was amazed that a Minister had so obviously distanced himself from collective responsibility and the concept of joined-up government.