diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index b54d8822..792a005c 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ byobu (5.7) unreleased; urgency=low
   * usr/bin/byobu-reconnect-sockets: LP: #923169
     - nasty hack for compatibility with zsh sourcing this file
 
+  [ Colin Watson ]
+  * debian/control, debian/rules: LP: #923197
+    - minimize our perl dependencies
+
  -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:19:07 -0600
 
 byobu (5.6-0ubuntu1) precise; urgency=low
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index efa7cd0b..752b19ab 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Maintainer: Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>
 DM-Upload-Allowed: yes
 Uploaders: Antoine Beaupré <anarcat@koumbit.org>
 Standards-Version: 3.9.2
-Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 7), gettext-base, automake, autoconf
+Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 7.0.50~), gettext-base, automake, autoconf
 Homepage: http://launchpad.net/byobu
 Vcs-Bzr: http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kirkland/byobu/trunk
 
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index cbe925d7..c81b051c 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/make -f
 %:
 	dh $@
+
+override_dh_perl:
+	dh_perl -d