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1196268

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to exclude future increases to the State Pension from the calculation of income for the purpose of housing benefit eligibility.
	tabling member constituency	North East Bedfordshire
	tabling member printed	Richard Fuller
	uin	47231
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>Housing Benefit is an income-related benefit which is intended to assist people who need help to pay their rent. Any income that is available to meet those expenses, such as a State Pension, is normally taken fully into account when working out how much Housing Benefit can be paid.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to amend regulations to allow a disregard for State Pension income, including any increases each year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 22/05/2020 13:25:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller

1185913

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to (a) make housing benefit available to applicants immediately and (b) increase awards to cover median local rents.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Florence Eshalomi
	uin	30914
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2020 answer text <p>Housing Benefit is only available to those of pension age or those living in temporary or supported accommodation. We are not looking to extend eligibility criteria beyond these groups. However, housing cost support is available through Universal Credit, for those of working age, from the point of claim and advances up to 100% of a claimant’s eligibility are available immediately.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 31/03/2020 11:09:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 14196 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4870 label Biography information for Florence Eshalomi

1258127

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of the system for paying housing benefit to providers of exempt accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hodge Hill
	tabling member printed	Liam Byrne
	uin	124688
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve value for money and quality in the supported housing sector through our joint oversight regime. An important step in this programme was the launch of Local Authority pilots in Birmingham and four other areas, to test innovative ways of ensuring good quality and value for money in supported housing, including exempt accommodation.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/12/2020 14:43:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	1171 label Biography information for Liam Byrne

1253264

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the benefits of excluding (a) savings in lifetime and (b) help-to-buy ISAs from the eligibility calculation for housing benefit.
	tabling member constituency	York Outer
	tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
	uin	117242
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2020 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. The fundamental purpose of Housing Benefit is to help people on low incomes pay their rent. As it is an income related benefit, regard must be had to all income and capital when assessing entitlement. Whilst it is important to encourage saving, it has never been thought right for substantial amounts of capital to be ignored altogether when deciding entitlement to a benefit based on need.</p><p> </p><p>However, as ISAs are treated as capital, entitlement to Housing Benefit is only affected if the amount held in an ISA exceeds £6,000 for working age people or £10,000 for people over pension age. Housing Benefit claimants who are also receiving a passporting benefit such as Income Support or Pension Credit have all their capital disregarded.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 27/11/2020 13:50:56 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1271836

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much enhanced housing benefit is paid directly to landlords of supported exempt accommodation by (a) housing benefit and (b) universal credit in each local authority area in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Ladywood
	tabling member printed	Shabana Mahmood
	uin	130680
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>To source this information would be at a disproportionate cost to the Department. However, we can clarify that, wherever a claimant’s accommodation meets the definition of exempt accommodation, their housing costs support is paid through Housing Benefit, not Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 11/01/2021 14:07:23 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3914 label Biography information for Shabana Mahmood

1197711

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new claims for housing benefit were made in week since 1 March 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds East
	tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
	uin	49775
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The available information on the number of new claims processed for housing benefit is published quarterly and is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-statistics-on-speed-of-processing--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-statistics-on-speed-of-processing--2</a></p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics were published in April 2020 and provide data to December 2019.</p><p> </p><p>New claims for Housing Benefit can only be made by people over pension age and working age people living in temporary or supported accommodation. Otherwise, if a working age person requires help with their housing costs they must claim Universal Credit.</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 02/06/2020 13:25:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

177929

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which credit reference agencies his Department has engaged in housing benefit claim verification in the last financial year; and for what purpose each such agency was engaged.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
	tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
	uin	223395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department has not engaged any credit reference agencies in Housing Benefit claims in the last financial year. Individual local authorities are free to make their own local arrangements for the administration of Housing Benefit and some may use credit reference agencies to verify claims. We do not collect information on this.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 09/02/2015 13:57:52 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

93665

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his Department's policy that an award of housing benefit should be suspended when Permitted Work is reported as a change of circumstance.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	210727
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p>Guidance to local authorities on permitted work and how it affects Housing Benefit is provided in the Housing Benefit Guidance Manual, Chapter BW2, specifically paragraphs W2.141 and following. A link is provided below.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236962/hbgm-bw2-assessment-of-income.pdf" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236962/hbgm-bw2-assessment-of-income.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>There is no specific suspension rule relating to permitted work cases. Decision makers have general powers to suspend any payment of Housing Benefit, in whole or part, when there is an issue about whether the conditions for entitlement are or were fulfilled, or a question arises about whether a decision to award HB should be revised or superseded. This might be exercised where, for example, the decision maker needs further information from the claimant in order accurately to assess Housing Benefit entitlement. It is not an obligatory power; the decision maker may decide whether or not to suspend, based on the circumstances of the case. Guidance is in the Housing Benefit Guidance Manual, Chapter C8. A link is provided below.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236976/hbgm-c8-suspension-and-termination.pdf" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236976/hbgm-c8-suspension-and-termination.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 210724 210725 question first answered 20/10/2014 15:22:29 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

93669

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether housing benefit claimants who have become self employed must use a self employment declaration form, as the means of reporting that information.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	210729
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Whilst it is for the DWP to set Housing Benefit policy, local authorities have a statutory duty to undertake day-to-day administration and pay claimants.</p><p> </p><p>It would be for local authorities to determine how they obtain the information they need from claimants who undertake permitted work on a self-employed basis or who have started self-employment.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 210730 question first answered 21/10/2014 13:18:21 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey

93670

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a housing benefit claimant who undertakes permitted work on a self-employment basis is required to complete a self employment declaration form.
	tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
	tabling member printed	Kate Hoey
	uin	210730
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>Whilst it is for the DWP to set Housing Benefit policy, local authorities have a statutory duty to undertake day-to-day administration and pay claimants.</p><p> </p><p>It would be for local authorities to determine how they obtain the information they need from claimants who undertake permitted work on a self-employed basis or who have started self-employment.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 210729 question first answered 21/10/2014 13:18:21 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	210 label Biography information for Baroness Hoey