Written questions by Burgon.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of potential additional costs to her Department of the provisions outlined in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published in March 2025.

This Department makes regular assessments of spending pressures; these take account of various factors including new policy. The Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper is an open consultation led by the Department for Work and pensions which seeks views on the approaches government should consider around reform of the health and disability benefits system and employment support. The consultation closes on 30 June 2025. As such, it is not current policy, and a full assessment will be made in the usual way at the appropriate time.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that people working in the social care sector have access to social and affordable housing in proximity of their place of work and community networks; and what plans she has to increase the supply of affordable housing stock in areas of high demand.

As set out in my answer to Question UIN 11383 on 31 October 2024, this government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, including in areas of high demand.Local authorities are responsible for designing and managing their own housing allocations policies to meet local need.To ensure sufficient social and affordable housing is available for those working in the social care sector in proximity to their place of work and community networks, S.166A(6)(b) HA96 allows local authorities to set local lettings policies i.e., to allocate accommodation to people of a particular description such as people working in the care sector. Housing associations can apply a similar principle when allocating Affordable Rent homes.