Written questions by Wrigley.

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%

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 34064 on Export Health Certificates and Pet Travel Scheme, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of regulating the costs of (a) pet passports and (b) Animal Health Certificates for travel between the UK and the EU.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. This will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of needing an animal health certificate each time you travel, you will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. We will provide more information on pet passports valid for travel to the EU in due course. We currently have no plans to regulate the costs of pet passports or Animal Health Certificates. All fees set by veterinary surgeons or veterinary practices are a private matter between individual practices and their clients.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost of (a) Housing Benefit and (b) the provision of social housing in each of the next ten years.

The information requested on Housing Benefit (HB) expenditure over the next ten years is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, expenditure on HB for the years up to and including 2029/30 is available in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables. The Department for Work and Pensions does not estimate the cost of provision of social housing.

What discussions her Department has had with the National Cyber Security Centre on (a) long-term contract costs and (b) cybersecurity implications of awarding government-wide data infrastructure work to Palantir Technologies.

The National Cyber Security Centre is part of GCHQ, and works closely with the rest of Government to improve the cyber security of critical infrastructure and systems.It is HMG policy not to comment on the details of the Single Intelligence Account, including contract costs and conversations with HMT.

What information her Department holds on the proportion of housing benefits that are paid to private landlords in (a) the UK and (b) other OECD countries.

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 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%

Whether his Department has consulted UK defence and intelligence agencies on awarding NHS data platform contracts to foreign-owned companies with defence-sector operations.

NHS England conducted an independent and transparent procurement exercise in full compliance with public contract regulations. The selection of the preferred supplier was not determined by a single individual but was the result of a rigorous assessment process involving multiple stakeholders. Consulting the United Kingdom’s defence and intelligence agencies before awarding data contracts is not a usual part of NHS England’s procurement process. NHS England did work with the National Cyber Security Centre for this procurement. In accordance with procurement regulations, NHS England cannot exclude any legally established and eligible supplier from participating in the bidding process.

What steps he has taken to ensure that NHS data handled by Palantir Technologies cannot be accessed or processed by non-UK government entities.

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) has been designed with stringent safeguards to ensure that patient data is protected in full compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.Access to National Health Service health and social care data within the FDP is tightly controlled. Only authorised users are granted access, and solely for approved purposes that demonstrably benefit patient care or NHS operations. Palantir Technologies, as the software provider, operates strictly under the instruction of NHS England. They do not control the data, nor are they permitted to access, use, or share it for any independent purpose. To further strengthen data protection, the FDP incorporates advanced Privacy Enhancing Technology (NHS-PET), which has been procured from a separate supplier to ensure independence and to mitigate any potential conflicts of interest. This technology ensures that data is processed in a secure and privacy-preserving manner. The contract with Palantir Technologies includes robust confidentiality clauses and is governed by a comprehensive oversight framework. This framework includes regular audits, monitoring, and reporting to ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards. Data Protection Impact Assessments have been conducted to assess and mitigate any risks to individual rights and freedoms.It is a contractual requirement that personal data stored in the FDP and NHS-PET cannot be accessed by its provider’s personnel or contractors based outside the United Kingdom. In accordance with GDPR principles of transparency and accountability, NHS England has published details which outline how data is protected, who can access it, and under what conditions. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/overarching-data-protection-impact-assessment-dpia-for-the-federated-data-platform-fdp/#18-in-which-country-territory-will-personal-data-be-stored-or-processedThese measures collectively ensure that NHS data remains under UK jurisdiction and all processing of patient information will be within the UK only. This is a contractual requirement, and one of the key principles of the FDP Information Governance Framework. Data cannot be accessed or processed by non-UK government entities.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on operational trust when non‑deterministic AI models produce different outputs from identical inputs.

The government recognises the importance of operational trust in AI systems. DSIT is building confidence in and driving adoption of AI by supporting a growing, competitive, and dynamic AI assurance ecosystem.By providing ways to measure, evaluate, and communicate the trustworthiness of AI systems, AI assurance can increase confidence in AI systems, support AI adoption, and boost economic growth.We have also placed a renewed focus on skills, recently announcing a joint commitment with industry to provide 7.5 million workers with fundamental AI skills. Equipping workers with these skills will also help build operational trust in AI systems, building understanding as to when a model is working as intended, even where different outputs are produced from identical inputs.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of Demos' report entitled The Purpose Dividend, published on 28 November 2023.

The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. As part of this, officials have engaged with industry-led reports such as the Demos report, "The Purpose Dividend" published in 2023.Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. The Government believes that this allows companies to determine their purpose and priorities themselves. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe duty only to shareholders.Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries meeting with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21418 on South West Main Line: Dawlish, what criteria she used for the decision not to include funding for phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme at Dawlish in the Spending Review 2025.

Following the Chancellors’s statement on 11 June we are now working to confirm our wider portfolio of rail enhancements, which will be published as part of the government’s commitment to set out its overall infrastructure pipeline.

Whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had meetings with (i) business representatives and (ii) civil society organisations on changing shareholder primacy into stakeholder primacy in business in the last 12 months.

The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. As part of this, officials have engaged with industry-led reports such as the Demos report, "The Purpose Dividend" published in 2023.Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. The Government believes that this allows companies to determine their purpose and priorities themselves. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe duty only to shareholders.Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries meeting with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 on Question 21418 on South West Mainline: Dawlish, whether she plans to provide funding for phase 5 of the Dawlish south west rail resilience fund.

Following the Chancellors’s statement on 11 June we are now working to confirm our wider portfolio of rail enhancements, which will be published as part of the government’s commitment to set out its overall infrastructure pipeline.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of supermarket loyalty scheme pricing models on consumers.

The Department has not made such an assessment. However, in 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) undertook a review into loyalty pricing in the groceries sector, publishing their findings in November 2024. The CMA found that shoppers who are members of a loyalty scheme can almost always make a genuine saving on the usual price by buying loyalty priced products. This should give shoppers confidence that they are not being treated unfairly. The CMA analysed around 50,000 grocery products on a loyalty price promotion and found very little evidence of supermarkets inflating their ‘usual’ prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.In addition, shoppers without a loyalty scheme membership are generally paying the same price during the loyalty price promotion as they do in the weeks both before and after loyalty price promotions. However, the CMA found several loyalty priced products which were significantly more expensive than the cheapest price available at other supermarkets at that time, so there is value in shopping around.