Means-testing for public sector housing will come in once the policy is finalised.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer told the House of Keys on Tuesday that his department was waiting for the Cabinet Office to draw up the policy before it can be implemented.

A set of means-testing principles was drawn up in 2014, he said.

’The core proposal was that there should be a central means testing system, to be implemented on a phased basis, and that one government department should be responsible for the policy and operation of that system,’ he said.

’Within this new administration, the Cabinet Office, under the direction of the Minister for Policy and Reform, is now in the process of drafting such a policy.

’Once the policy is adopted, my department will consider how best to extend means-testing to all public sector housing rents in a way which is consistent with the broader government policy on means-testing.’

He was responding to questions from David Ashford (Douglas North), who said government had dragged its feet on implementing the new policy.

Mr Harmer pointed out that public sector housing tenants, although not currently means-tested for rent, are subject to financial eligibility testing at the ’point of entry’ and, following the introduction of fixed-term tenancies in 2013, that was reviewed every five years.

He said it was hoped to have a means-testing in place for those on fixed term contracts well before they reached the end of their first five years in 2018.