Written questions by Simmonds.

When he plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner of 11 November 2025.

Thank you for raising this matter. The department has investigated the case, and we have provided a response on Friday 13 March.

What weight is given to the level of (a) private rented sector rents and (b) council tax in the statistical determination of child poverty.

The UK's headline child poverty statistics are provided via the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics publication: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK. Children are defined as being in income-based poverty if the net income of their household is below 60% of median household income. Household incomes are adjusted by a process called equivalisation so that different household sizes and compositions can be compared. Council tax liability is subtracted in full from household income in a similar way to other taxes when calculating income before housing costs (BHC). Private rented sector rents are then subtracted in full from BHC income to calculate income after housing costs (AHC). The headline income-based measure of poverty is relative low income after housing costs (AHC) i.e. a child is in relative poverty AHC if the AHC income of their household is below 60% of the median for the year in question.

How much funding was allocated to English for Speakers of Other Languages provision in 2024-25; what is the budget for 2025-26; and what proportion in each case was allocated as grants to local authorities.

Funding for adults to develop the English language skills they need is made available across government – from the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education. The department supports adults aged 19+ in England who speak English as a second or additional language to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), subject to eligibility requirements. ESOL funding is not ringfenced. Currently 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These are responsible for deciding how to make best use of their ASF to meet their local needs, including ESOL. The department continues to be responsible for the remaining ASF non-devolved areas although colleges, local authorities and other training providers in non-devolved areas have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF allocation to meet local skills needs, including ESOL provision. The department supports 16 to 19-year-olds through funding that is allocated to schools and colleges and enables students to take part in either study programmes or T Levels, which includes funding specifically for English courses where appropriate.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the cap on the amount councils can claim to meet temporary accommodation costs on local authority finances.

We continue to keep the rates used for Housing Benefit subsidy under review and are working closely with MHCLG and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to explore the impacts of subsidy rates on local authorities.Any future decisions on subsidy rates will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the current challenging financial environment at the appropriate fiscal event.We recognise the financial pressures which local authorities are experiencing. MHCLG is increasing funding for homelessness services this year by an extra £233 million compared to last year (2024/25).

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of welfare reforms announced in the Spring Statement 2025 on local authority finances.

No assessment has been made. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.