Written questions by Wrigley.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to PIP eligibility on LGBTQ+ people.

As I made clear in my statement to the House, Hansard, 1 July, col 219, any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit, which I am leading, and which will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future. The review is expected to conclude in autumn 2026.

Whether she plans to take steps to ensure support for low-income tenants provides value for money.

DWP works with Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to improve housing quality for benefit claimants and value for money for taxpayers. The Renters' Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, includes measures to strengthen landlord accountability. These include a requirement for all landlords to sign up to the new Private Rented Sector Database; a new independent Landlord Ombudsman which will provide binding resolutions for tenant complaints; the extension of the Decent Homes Standard to the PRS; and Awaab’s law, requiring swift action where damp and mould has been reported. In addition, DWP is currently testing how sharing UC data can support local authorities with the Rent Repayment Order (RRO) process, aiming to change landlord behaviours and achieve better quality homes where housing support has been in payment.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to PIP eligibility on Disabled pensioners.

No one over state pension age at the time any changes come in will be affected. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here: Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.

Whether she plans to allow veterans in receipt of the Armed Forces Independence Payment to claim the new health-related Universal Credit support.

The Green Paper, “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working” announced that we would be scrapping the Work Capability Assessment and moving to a single assessment for financial support related to health and disability benefits. This single assessment will be the PIP assessment and those who are eligible for an award of Daily Living in PIP would also be able to access additional financial support in Universal Credit. We recognise that claiming certain other benefits can impact whether or not a claimant applies for or can get PIP, including Armed Forces Independence Payment. We are currently considering how the future system will operate and will provide further information in the upcoming White Paper.

What steps she is taking to support disabled veterans in Devon.

Disabled people, including disabled veterans, can access a wide range of support in Devon. Information on what support is available to them can be found on Gov.UK including these specific areas: Veterans UK - GOV.UK and Disabled people - GOV.UK.

What steps she is taking to help tackle stigma among disabled veterans claiming PIP.

The benefits system exists to support people at critical points in their lives and for a range of reasons. There should be no stigma attached to claiming a benefit you're entitled to, and people should claim social security benefits as and when their circumstances dictate.

Regarding Housing Benefit, if she will make it her policy to commit a portion of benefit funding into social housing.

Housing support is delivered through Housing Benefit (HB) and the Housing Element of Universal Credit (UCHE). These are means tested benefits intended to help people pay their rental costs, including around two-thirds of households living in the social rented sector in England. Registered providers of social housing use income from rents to manage and maintain their homes, as well as to deliver new homes. At Spending Review 2025, the Government announced a 10-year social housing rent settlement from 2026 at CPI + 1% for England, alongside a consultation to follow shortly on how to implement social housing rent convergence. This settlement will provide long-term certainty to enable providers to borrow and invest in new and existing homes.

How many and what proportion of Housing Benefit recipients live in (a) private rented accommodation and (b) social housing.

In 2023/24 financial year, 490,000 Housing Benefit claimants lived in private-rented accommodation. This accounted for 21% of all housing benefit claimants. In 2023/24 financial year, 1.9 million Housing Benefit claimants lived in social housing. This accounted for 79% of all housing benefit claimants.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of Universal Credit on the level of payments made to private landlords.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. The Department does not hold data on the level of payments made by claimants to private landlords, either under Universal Credit or legacy benefits. While we can identify the value of a Universal Credit housing element or a managed payment to a landlord, we do not have access to landlord rent account data and therefore cannot determine what was actually paid by the claimant. This applies across both the social and private rented sectors.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Housing Benefit as a mechanism for supporting people to live in the private rented sector.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum levels of housing support for households claiming Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit and who rent in the private rented sector. LHA rates are reviewed annually, usually at an Autumn fiscal event. LHA rates are based on the area of the country a person lives and their bedroom entitlement. The decision to maintain LHA rates at current levels for 2025/26 was taken after a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, rate increases in April 2024 and the wider fiscal context. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25, and approximately £7bn over 5 years. In the Private Rented Sector, households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance regardless of the contractual rent paid. However, LHA rates do not cover all rents in all areas. Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context. This includes the recent Spending Review announcement of a £39 billion successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential impact of increased availability of social housing on levels of demand for (a) housing benefit and (b) Universal Credit housing payments.

My department has been supporting the development of a long-term housing strategy which the government intends to publish later this year. At Spending Review 2025, the government announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment for England in a generation, confirming £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. The programme will prioritise homes for social rent and will make more homes available for those who would otherwise struggle to afford private rents. The Government also announced a 10-year social housing rent settlement from 2026 at CPI + 1%, alongside a consultation on how to implement social housing rent convergence.

What estimate her Department has made of the total amount of housing benefit paid to private landlords in the last ten years.

In 2023/24, total housing support provided to private rented sector (PRS) tenants amounted to £12.3 billion (in 2024/25 prices). Of this, £3.9 billion was delivered through Housing Benefit (HB), while £8.4 billion was provided via the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). This means that HB accounted for 32% of total PRS housing support, with UCHE making up the remaining 68%. The Department does not hold information on housing benefit payments made to private landlords in other OECD countries. Housing support systems vary significantly between countries, and as such, comparisons of housing benefit payments across international contexts should be treated with caution. The information requested on Housing Benefit paid to private landlords by region and local authority is publicly available. It can be accessed via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority 2023/24) Housing Benefits Expenditure, £m real terms, 2025/26 prices, from 2014/15 to 2023/24 Housing Benefits Expenditure, £ million real terms, 2025/26 prices2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalHousing Benefit (Private Rented Sector)£12,584£12,063£11,135£10,193£8,898£7,096£5,980£5,376£4,491£3,872£94,674Total Housing Benefit£33,636£33,296£31,482£29,488£26,844£23,249£20,811£19,474£17,574£16,805£266,500Housing Benefit PRS Proportion of Total Housing Benefit37%36%35%35%33%31%29%28%26%23%33%

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on reviewing the balance of funding between housing support for private rents and long-term capital grants for affordable housing.

My department has been supporting the development of a long-term housing strategy which the government intends to publish later this year. At Spending Review 2025, the government announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment for England in a generation, confirming £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. The programme will prioritise homes for social rent and will make more homes available for those who would otherwise struggle to afford private rents. The Government also announced a 10-year social housing rent settlement from 2026 at CPI + 1%, alongside a consultation on how to implement social housing rent convergence.

How much and what proportion of (a) Housing Benefit and (b) the housing element of Universal Credit is paid to private landlords.

In 2023/24, total housing support provided to private rented sector (PRS) tenants amounted to £12.3 billion (in 2024/25 prices). Of this, £3.9 billion was delivered through Housing Benefit (HB), while £8.4 billion was provided via the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). This means that HB accounted for 32% of total PRS housing support, with UCHE making up the remaining 68%. The Department does not hold information on housing benefit payments made to private landlords in other OECD countries. Housing support systems vary significantly between countries, and as such, comparisons of housing benefit payments across international contexts should be treated with caution. The information requested on Housing Benefit paid to private landlords by region and local authority is publicly available. It can be accessed via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority 2023/24) Housing Benefits Expenditure, £m real terms, 2025/26 prices, from 2014/15 to 2023/24 Housing Benefits Expenditure, £ million real terms, 2025/26 prices2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalHousing Benefit (Private Rented Sector)£12,584£12,063£11,135£10,193£8,898£7,096£5,980£5,376£4,491£3,872£94,674Total Housing Benefit£33,636£33,296£31,482£29,488£26,844£23,249£20,811£19,474£17,574£16,805£266,500Housing Benefit PRS Proportion of Total Housing Benefit37%36%35%35%33%31%29%28%26%23%33%

How much Housing Benefit is paid to private landlords in each (a) region and (b) local authority.

In 2023/24, total housing support provided to private rented sector (PRS) tenants amounted to £12.3 billion (in 2024/25 prices). Of this, £3.9 billion was delivered through Housing Benefit (HB), while £8.4 billion was provided via the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). This means that HB accounted for 32% of total PRS housing support, with UCHE making up the remaining 68%. The Department does not hold information on housing benefit payments made to private landlords in other OECD countries. Housing support systems vary significantly between countries, and as such, comparisons of housing benefit payments across international contexts should be treated with caution. The information requested on Housing Benefit paid to private landlords by region and local authority is publicly available. It can be accessed via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority 2023/24) Housing Benefits Expenditure, £m real terms, 2025/26 prices, from 2014/15 to 2023/24 Housing Benefits Expenditure, £ million real terms, 2025/26 prices2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalHousing Benefit (Private Rented Sector)£12,584£12,063£11,135£10,193£8,898£7,096£5,980£5,376£4,491£3,872£94,674Total Housing Benefit£33,636£33,296£31,482£29,488£26,844£23,249£20,811£19,474£17,574£16,805£266,500Housing Benefit PRS Proportion of Total Housing Benefit37%36%35%35%33%31%29%28%26%23%33%

What steps her Department is taking to help incentivise private landlords to rent to benefit recipients.

Rental discrimination against people who receive benefits has no place in a fair and modern housing market. The Renters’ Rights Bill takes direct action to stop discriminatory practices against households receiving benefits in the private rented sector. It will address overt discriminatory practices, such as ‘no DSS’ adverts, and any indirect practices designed to intentionally prevent someone entering into a tenancy. DWP does not incentivise private landlords to rent their properties to benefit recipients. We do provide housing support towards rental costs for private renters in receipt of either Housing Benefit or Universal Credit via the Local Housing Allowance. Discretionary Housing Payments are also available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

What the cost of Housing Benefit was in each of the last ten years.

In 2023/24, total housing support provided to private rented sector (PRS) tenants amounted to £12.3 billion (in 2024/25 prices). Of this, £3.9 billion was delivered through Housing Benefit (HB), while £8.4 billion was provided via the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). This means that HB accounted for 32% of total PRS housing support, with UCHE making up the remaining 68%. The Department does not hold information on housing benefit payments made to private landlords in other OECD countries. Housing support systems vary significantly between countries, and as such, comparisons of housing benefit payments across international contexts should be treated with caution. The information requested on Housing Benefit paid to private landlords by region and local authority is publicly available. It can be accessed via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority 2023/24) Housing Benefits Expenditure, £m real terms, 2025/26 prices, from 2014/15 to 2023/24 Housing Benefits Expenditure, £ million real terms, 2025/26 prices2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalHousing Benefit (Private Rented Sector)£12,584£12,063£11,135£10,193£8,898£7,096£5,980£5,376£4,491£3,872£94,674Total Housing Benefit£33,636£33,296£31,482£29,488£26,844£23,249£20,811£19,474£17,574£16,805£266,500Housing Benefit PRS Proportion of Total Housing Benefit37%36%35%35%33%31%29%28%26%23%33%

How much and what proportion of Housing Benefit is paid to private landlords.

In 2023/24, total housing support provided to private rented sector (PRS) tenants amounted to £12.3 billion (in 2024/25 prices). Of this, £3.9 billion was delivered through Housing Benefit (HB), while £8.4 billion was provided via the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). This means that HB accounted for 32% of total PRS housing support, with UCHE making up the remaining 68%. The Department does not hold information on housing benefit payments made to private landlords in other OECD countries. Housing support systems vary significantly between countries, and as such, comparisons of housing benefit payments across international contexts should be treated with caution. The information requested on Housing Benefit paid to private landlords by region and local authority is publicly available. It can be accessed via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority 2023/24) Housing Benefits Expenditure, £m real terms, 2025/26 prices, from 2014/15 to 2023/24 Housing Benefits Expenditure, £ million real terms, 2025/26 prices2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalHousing Benefit (Private Rented Sector)£12,584£12,063£11,135£10,193£8,898£7,096£5,980£5,376£4,491£3,872£94,674Total Housing Benefit£33,636£33,296£31,482£29,488£26,844£23,249£20,811£19,474£17,574£16,805£266,500Housing Benefit PRS Proportion of Total Housing Benefit37%36%35%35%33%31%29%28%26%23%33%

How much Housing Benefit was paid to private landlords (a) in real terms and (b) as a proportion of total Housing Benefit expenditure in each of the last ten years.

In 2023/24, total housing support provided to private rented sector (PRS) tenants amounted to £12.3 billion (in 2024/25 prices). Of this, £3.9 billion was delivered through Housing Benefit (HB), while £8.4 billion was provided via the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). This means that HB accounted for 32% of total PRS housing support, with UCHE making up the remaining 68%. The Department does not hold information on housing benefit payments made to private landlords in other OECD countries. Housing support systems vary significantly between countries, and as such, comparisons of housing benefit payments across international contexts should be treated with caution. The information requested on Housing Benefit paid to private landlords by region and local authority is publicly available. It can be accessed via Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority 2023/24) Housing Benefits Expenditure, £m real terms, 2025/26 prices, from 2014/15 to 2023/24 Housing Benefits Expenditure, £ million real terms, 2025/26 prices2014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24TotalHousing Benefit (Private Rented Sector)£12,584£12,063£11,135£10,193£8,898£7,096£5,980£5,376£4,491£3,872£94,674Total Housing Benefit£33,636£33,296£31,482£29,488£26,844£23,249£20,811£19,474£17,574£16,805£266,500Housing Benefit PRS Proportion of Total Housing Benefit37%36%35%35%33%31%29%28%26%23%33%

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) Housing Benefit and (b) other housing subsidies on rent levels in the private rented sector.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for low income tenants in the private rented sector (PRS). In April 2024, LHA rates were set at the 30th percentile of local market rents and have been maintained at the same levels for 2025/26. In the PRS, LHA households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance regardless of the contractual rent paid. However, LHA rates do not cover all rents in all areas. International evidence varies widely on how much housing subsidies feed through into rent levels. DWP analysis has shown that only 9.5% of rents paid by households covered by the LHA were within +/- £5 per week of the LHA rate in May 2024, with a similar rate (7%) seen in February 2023. While anecdotal evidence suggests that some landlords use the LHA to set rent levels, on balance it appears that in practice local rental market dynamics are the primary driver. Discretionary Housing Payments are also available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.